Vfifflm  Co. 

ark*Cl)icaga 


5 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 

Los  Angeles 


Form  L  1 


'if 


Form  L-9-15m-10'25 


IV 


PRACTICAL 
ENGLISH  COMPOSITION 

BOOK  I 

FOR  THE  FIRST  YEAR  OF  THE  HIGH  SCHOOL 

BY 

EDWIN   L.   MILLER,   A.M. 

PRINCIPAL    OF    THB    NORTHWESTERN    HIGH    SCHOOL 
DETROIT,    MICHIGAN 


BOSTON  NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 

HOUGHTON   MIFFLIN   COMPANY 

28  196 


COPYRIGHT,    1915,    BY    EDWIN    L.    MILLER 
ALL    RIGHTS   RESERVED 

Published  October  zgi$ 

Reprinted  November  1915;  December  1Q15;  June  1916; 

December  1916 


Wnt  »ti>trsO>t  £re«2 

CAMBRIDGE  .  MASSACHUSETTS 

U    .    S    .    A 


PE 


"Whoever  wishes  to  attain  an  English 
style,  familiar  but  not  coarse,  and  elegant 
but  not  ostentatious,  must  give  his  days  and 
nights  to  the  volumes  of  Addison." 

Samuel  Johnson.    Life  of  Addison. 

"Children  learn  to  speak  by  watching  the 
lips  and  catching  the  words  of  those  who 
know  how  already;  and  poets  learn  in  the 
same  way  from  their  elders." 

James  Russell  Lowell.     Essay  on  Chaucer. 

"Grammars  of  rhetoric  and  grammars  of 
logic  are  among  the  most  useless  furniture  of 
a  shelf.  Give  a  boy  Robinson  Crusoe.  That 
is  worth  all  the  grammars  of  rhetoric  and 
logic  in  the  world.  .  .  .  Who  ever  reasoned 
better  for  having  been  taught  the  difference 
between  a  syllogism  and  an  enthymeme? 
Who  ever  composed  with  greater  spirit  and 
elegance  because  he  could  define  an  oxy- 
moron or  an  aposiopesis?  " 

Thomas  Babington  Macaulat. 

Trevelyan's  Life  of  Lord  Macaulay.     Chapter  VI. 


PREFACE 

This  book  may  be  used  during  the  eighth,  ninth,  or 
tenth  year  of  school.  It  is  the  first  in  a  series  of  four, 
each  of  which  has  been  planned  to  cover  one  stage  in 
the  composition  work  of  the  secondary  school  course. 
These  volumes  are  all  designed  to  furnish  material 
adapted  as  exactly  as  possible  to  the  capacity  of  the 
pupils.  The  exercises  which  they  contain  have  been 
devised  with  the  idea  of  reproducing  the  methods  of 
self-instruction  which  have  been  employed  by  success- 
ful writers  from  Homer  to  Kipling.  Most  of  them  have 
been  subjected  to  the  test  of  actual  classroom  use  on 
a  large  scale.  They  may  be  used  independently  or 
as  supplementary  to  a  more  formal  textbook.  Each 
volume  contains  rather  more  work  than  an  ordinary 
class  can  do  in  one  hundred  recitations. 

In  each  volume  will  be  found  some  exercises  that 
involve  each  of  the  four  forms  of  discourse;  but  em- 
phasis is  placed  in  Books  I  and  II  on  description  and 
narration,  in  Book  III  on  exposition,  and  in  Book  IV 
on  argumentation.  Similarly,  while  stress  is  laid  in 
Book  I  on  letter-writing,  in  Book  II  on  journalism,  in 
Book  III  on  literary  effect,  and  in  Book  IV  on  the  civic 
aspects  of  composition,  all  of  these  phases  of  the  sub- 
ject receive  attention  in  each  volume. 

In  every  lesson  of  every  book  provision  is  made  for 
oral  work:  first,  because  it  is  an  end  valuable  in  itself; 
second,  because  it  is  of  incalculable  use  in  preparing 
the  ground  for  written  work;  third,  because  it  can  be 
made  to  give  the  pupil  a  proper  and  powerful  motive 


PRACTICAL  ENGLISH  COMPOSITION 

BOOK  I 


CHAPTER  I 


COMPOSITION 


"Of  all  those  arts  in  which  the  wise  excel 
Nature's  chief  masterpiece  is  writing  well." 

L  Introduction 

Composition  is  the  art  of  putting  ideas  together  in 
words  so  that  the  words,  whether  oral  or  written,  will 
make  an  impression  on  somebody.  Whenever  you  write 
or  speak  you  compose.  Whenever  you  compose  you  aim 
to  cause  somebody  to  think,  to  feel,  or  to  act.  Com- 
position is,  therefore,  the  most  practical  of  all  studies. 
Some  people  can  go  through  life  with  a  fair  degree  of 
credit  and  yet  be  profoundly  ignorant  of  mathematics, 
science,  history,  and  shorthand;  but  the  person  who 
cannot  write  and  speak  fluently  and  correctly  is  at 
once  set  down  as  ignorant  and  inefficient.  The  reason 
for  this  is  noteworthy.  Relatively  few  persons  need  to 
be  experts  in  science  and  mathematics;  everybody  has 
to  speak  and  write.  The  result  is  that,  while  ignorance 
of  chemistry  or  trigonometry  is  seldom  discovered,  a 
lack  of  skill  in  composition  is  instantly  detected  and 
punished.  It  is  punished  by  that  loss  of  the  power  to 
influence  other  people  which  is  its  inevitable  conse- 
quence. Remember,  therefore,  that  composition  is  the 
most  practical  of  all  subjects,  because  in  studying  com- 
position you  are  acquiring  an  art  which  you  will  have 


2  COMPOSITION 

occasion  to  practice  every  clay  and  all  day  throughout 
your  life. 

II.  Nature  of  Composition 

From  the  definition  of  composition  you  will  perceive 
that,  in  order  to  compose,  you  must  have  something 
to  say  and  somebody  to  whom  to  say  it.  This  really 
means  that  composition  consists  usually  of  three 
processes : 

I.  Gathering  material,  or  getting  something  to  say. 
II.  Putting  this  material  together,  which  involves : 
(1)  Arranging  it;   (2)  Oral  discussion  or  oral 
composition;  (3)  Writing;  (4)  Revision. 

III.  Publication,  which  includes  the  presentation 
of  the  finished  product  to  an  audience  and  the 
reaction  of  that  audience. 

In  other  words,  the  student  of  composition  must  not 
make  the  mistake  of  thinking  that  composition  is 
merely  writing.  There  are  seven  steps  in  composition : 
(1)  Gathering  material;  (2)  Arranging  material;  (3) 
Oral  composition;  (4)  Writing;  (5)  Revision;  (6)  Publi- 
cation; (7)  The  Reaction  (that  is,  Approval  or  Disap- 
proval). Writing  is  therefore  only  one  of  the  seven 
processes  that  compose  composition.  In  relation  to  the 
composition  as  a  whole  it  stands  in  importance  about 
as  a  postage  stamp  stands  in  size  to  the  envelope  which 
it  carries. 

A  concrete  example  will  make  this  clearer.  We  will 
take  the  case  of  a  book  with  which  most  boys  and  girls 
of  fourteen  are  familiar.  We  will  take  Macaulay's 
Lays  of  Ancient  Rome.  From  boyhood  Macaulay  stud- 
ied Roman  history  and  read  Roman  poetry.  In  this 
way  he  gathered  a  great  mass  of  material.  This  was 
Step  1.  While  he  was  still  a  small  boy,  Macaulay  read 


COMPOSITION  3 

Sir  Walter  Scott's  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel.  It  fired  his 
mind.  He  learned  it  by  heart.  Doubtless  he  thought  to 
himself:  "If  I  could  only  write  like  that,  how  happy  I 
should  be!"  At  all  events,  after  a  while,  —  that  is, 
when  he  was  about  forty  years  old,  —  he  organized 
some  of  his  Roman  material  into  poems  of  the  same 
kind  as  Scott's  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  calling  these 
poems  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome.  This  was  Step  2.  Then 
he  discussed  with  a  friend  of  his,  Mr.  Thomas  Flower 
Ellis,  what  he  had  done,  and  at  his  suggestion  changed 
some  passages.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  go  to  Rome 
to  study  his  poem  in  the  light  of  what  he  could  learn 
there.  That  was  his  way  of  accomplishing  Steps  3  and 
4.  Step  5  consisted  of  getting  the  poems  set  up  in  type 
and  reading  the  proof.  Macaulay  was  particular  about 
this.  He  did  not  despise  spelling  and  punctuation,  but 
he  did  despise  people  who  despise  spelling  and  punctu- 
ation. As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  only  people  who  do  not 
believe  in  these  things  are  those  who  can  neither  spell 
nor  punctuate.  But  that  is  another  story.  The  Lays 
were  published  in  1842,  which  was  Step  6,  and  were 
greeted  with  a  chorus  of  approval,  which  must  have 
been  highly  gratifying  to  Macaulay.  At  all  events  it 
brought  him  money  and  fame,  which  was  Step  7. 

III.  The  Audience 

When  Macaulay  wrote,  when  anybody  writes,  he 
writes  for  an  audience.  In  the  approval  of  an  audience 
lie  the  reason  and  reward  of  composition.  No  man  ex- 
cept a  blockhead  or  an  angel  ever  wrote  except  for  an 
audience.  In  beginning  a  course  in  composition,  the 
first  thing  to  do  is,  therefore,  to  provide  an  audience. 
We  shall  accomplish  this  by  organizing  ourselves  as  a 
literary  club. 


4  COMPOSITION 

This  is  effected  as  follows: 

1.  Elect  a  chairman. 

2.  Elect  a  secretary. 

3.  Appoint  a  committee  to  choose  a  name. 

4.  Appoint  a  committee  to  draw  iid  a  constitution. 
This  probably  will  be  quite  enough  work  for  one  day. 
The  second  and  third  days  will  perhaps  suffice  for 

the  discussion  and  adoption  of  the  constitution.  The 
fourth  will  be  needed  for  the  election  of  officers  and 
the  fifth  for  copying  the  constitution  into  every- 
body's notebook. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  will  afford  a 
good  model.  Two  points,  however,  need  particular 
attention: 

1.  The  section  dealing  with  the  order  of  business 
should  be  carefully  drawn. 

2.  Every  member  of  the  class  should  be  a  permanent 
recording  secretary,  whose  duty  it  should  be  each 
day  to  keep  careful  notes  of  the  transactions  of 
the  club,  to  copy  these  in  ink  into  a  notebook,  and 
to  be  ready  when  called  upon  to  read  them  to  the 
club.   Their  value  for  review  work  is  obvious. 

IV.  Order  of  Business 

1.  Roll  call.  It  is  suggested  that  the  class  should 
each  month  learn  a  poem,  and  that  each  member 
may  respond  at  roll  call  by  giving  one  line  or 
one  sentence. 

2.  Minutes  of  the  last  meeting. 

3.  Discussion  of  the  minutes. 

4.  Reports  of  committees  and  officers. 

5.  New  business. 

6.  Unfinished  business. 

This  arrangement  lends  itself  well  to  the  methodical 


COMPOSITION  5 

transaction  of  the  business  of  a  class;  affords  training  in 
citizenship ;  keeps  the  teacher  where  he  belongs  —  in 
the  background;  gives  daily  practice  in  oral  expression; 
and,  above  all,  causes  the  boys  and  girls  to  feel  that 
they  have  a  vital  share  in  the  conduct  and  success  of 
the  work.  A  pupil  may  be  appointed  each  day  as  critic. 
The  teacher,  as  permanent  critic  of  the  club,  will  report 
daily  on  the  work  of  the  other  members,  and,  under  the 
order  of  new  business,  will  assign  the  work  of  the  next 
meeting.  From  time  to  time  contests  may  be  arranged 
with  other  classes  and  semi-public  programs  presented 
in  the  school  auditorium.  In  this  connection,  it  may  be 
suggested  that  the  teacher  should  often  sit,  not  in  the 
front,  but  in  the  back  of  the  room.  The  use  of  a  dig- 
nified current  periodical  as  a  basis  for  these  discus- 
sions may  serve  a  useful  purpose. 

V.  Model  Minutes 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Holmes  Literary  Club  Mon- 
day, December  14,  1914,  Mr.  John  Murray  presided. 
Roll  call,  which  was  effected  by  the  Critic,  Mr.  Edwin 
L.  Miller,  by  requiring  the  members  of  the  club  each 
to  give  a  line  of  Kipling's  "If,"  as  their  names  were 
read,  showed  nineteen  present  and  one  absent.  The 
minutes  of  the  meeting  of  December  11  were  read  by 
William  Penn  and  ordered  rewritten.  The  Critic  re- 
turned to  their  authors  for  revision  a  set  of  reports 
on  lectures,  taking  occasion  to  discuss  in  connection 
therewith  the  following  topics : 

1.  The  fundamental  law  of  punctuation. 

2.  Festina  lente  =  "Hurry  slowly"  =  "Safety first." 

3.  Carpe  diem  =  "Do  it  now." 

4.  "Facts  are  the  soul  of  reporting." 

Under  the  head  of  new  business  he  directed  each 


6  COMPOSITION 

member  of  the  class  in  preparation  for  to-morrow's 
meeting  to  perform  the  following  tasks: 

1.  Write  up  the  minutes. 

2.  Be  prepared  to  discuss  orally  the  topics  suggested 
in  the  next  paragraph. 

This  was  followed  by  a  debate  between  the  Greeks 
and  Romans  on  the  resolution  that  "  Admiral 
Mahan's  thesis  that  sea-power  is  essential  to  world- 
power  is  sound."  The  Romans  won  by  568  points  to 
550.1 

VI.  Oral  Composition 

Everybody  composes  orally  whenever  he  speaks. 
As  a  rule  people  speak  better  than  they  write.  Just  as 
the  legs  are  usually  stronger  than  the  arms,  the  tongue 
is  apt  to  be  quicker  than  the  fingers.  For  this  reason 
the  art  of  oral  composition  is  too  often  neglected.  Its 
importance,  however,  cannot  be  overrated.  It  is  not 
only  an  essential  step  in  the  preparation  of  written 
compositions,  but  has  a  value  of  its  own  to  all  public 
speakers,  to  all  salesmen,  and  to  all  persons  who  meet 
other  persons  in  social  intercourse.  As  a  beginning  in 
this  art,  the  pupil  is  therefore  directed  to  prepare, 
without  writing  it,  a  three-minute  speech  on  some 
topic  suggested  by  the  preceding  pages.  The  following 
may  serve: 

1.  What  is  Composition? 

2.  The  Practical  Value  of  Composition. 

3.  Seven  Keys  to  Composition. 

4.  Sir  Walter  Scott. 

5.  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel. 

6.  Thomas  Babington  Macaulay. 

7.  The  Lays  of  Ancient  Rome. 

8.  Literary  Clubs. 

1  The  teacher  may  keep  the  score. 


COMPOSITION  7 

VII.  Memorize 

As  an  aid  to  composition,  the  process  of  learning 
poetry  by  heart  is  of  great  value.  It  increases  one's 
vocabulary,  develops  a  feeling  for  sentence  structure, 
gradually  teaches  without  seeming  to  teach  the  subtler 
methods  of  securing  literary  effect,  and  gives  to  what 
might  otherwise  be  a  too  prosaic  task  a  little  touch  of 
that  finer  stuff  which  we  call  idealism.  The  poem,  or 
part  of  a  poem,  at  the  end  of  each  chapter,  has  been 
selected  with  special  reference  to  its  value  for  being 
memorized. 

THE   BUILDERS 

All  are  architects  of  Fate, 

Building  in  these  halls  of  Time, 

Some  with  massive  deeds  and  great, 
Some  with  ornaments  of  rhyme. 

Nothing  useless  is  or  low; 

Each  thing  in  its  place  is  best; 
And  what  seems  but  idle  show 

Strengthens  and  supports  the  rest. 

For  the  structure  that  we  raise 

Time  is  with  materials  filled; 
Our  to-days  and  yesterdays 

Are  the  blocks  with  which  we  build. 

Truly  shape  and  fashion  these; 

Leave  no  yawning  gaps  between; 
Think  not,  because  no  man  sees, 

Such  things  will  remain  unseen. 

(Continued  on  Page  11.) 


CHAPTER  II 

LETTER   WRITING  — EXCUSES  FOR    ABSENCE 

"Conspicuous  by  his  absence." 

I.  Introduction 

Everybody  has  to  write  letters.  Some  people  have 
occasion  to  write  nothing  else.  The  first  task  of  the 
beginner  in  composition,  therefore,  should  be  to  learn 
how  to  write  a  good  letter.  Letters  are  of  two  kinds, 
business  and  social.  Business  letters  are  formal;  social 
letters  are  informal.  We  shall  begin  with  some  simple 
business  letters,  shall  vary  these  with  a  few  social 
letters,  and  shall  then  compose  some  more  difficult 
business  letters. 

II.  Exercise 

Write  an  excuse  for  absence  from  school.  Use  the 
form  of  a  business  letter.  Address  it  to  the  proper 
school  official. 

III.  Model 

Washington  High  School, 
Adams,  Maine. 

October  1,  1914. 
Mr.  Richard  Mulcaster, 
Washington  High  School, 

Adams,  Maine. 
Dear  Sir: 

My  absence  September  28,  29,  and  30  was  due  to  illness. 
I  therefore  ask  that  I  be  allowed  to  reenter  my  classes. 

Yours  truly, 

Erasmus  Darwin. 


LETTER  WRITING  9 

IV.  Practical  Application 

Absence  from  school  or  business  is  in  itself  an  un- 
mixed evil.  Sickness  is  the  only  valid  excuse  for  ab- 
sence. In  the  eyes  of  business  men  even  sickness  does 
not  constitute  a  valid  excuse.  An  employee  who  is 
often  absent  does  not  hold  a  job  long.  To  teach  the 
value  of  regularity  of  attendance  is  therefore  one  of  the 
first  duties  of  a  school.  One  of  the  objects  of  this  chap- 
ter is  to  extract  from  the  evil  of  absence  a  grain  of  good 
by  making  it  the  occasion  for  a  useful  exercise  in  letter- 
writing.  l 

V.  Notes  and  Queries 

1.  Observe  that  the  heading  tells  where  and  when  the 
letter  is  written.  Usually  the  where  is  printed  on 
business  letter  heads. 

2.  Observe  that  in  Line  3  there  is  a  comma  after 
"October  1"  and  a  period  after  "1914."  The 
comma  indicates  that  the  word  "in"  is  omitted. 
Commas  are  often  used  thus  to  indicate  that 
words  are  omitted.   Find  some  examples. 

3.  Observe  that  in  Lines  4,  5,  and  6  we  have  a  copy 
of  the  address  as  it  appears  on  the  outside  of 
the  envelope. 

4.  Why  are  there  periods    after   "Mr.,"   "1914," 

1  To  Teachers.  In  some  schools  the  pupil  who  has  been  absent 
or  tardy,  in  addition  to  being  required  to  bring  a  note  from  parent 
or  guardian,  is  required  to  write  a  letter  such  as  is  here  presented, 
not  being  readmitted  to  any  class  until  he  produces  a  document 
neat,  legible,  and  perfect  in  spelling,  punctuation,  capitalization, 
form,  and  all  of  the  other  essentials  of  good  usage.  This  letter 
is  countersigned  by  each  of  his  teachers  when  the  writer  presents 
himself  for  recitation,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day  is  filed  in  the  school 
archives.  If  resolutely  adhered  to,  this  plan  produces  admirable 
results. 


10  LETTER  WRITING 

and  "Maine"?  Commas  after  "Muleaster"  and 
"Adams"? 

5.  Nota  bene:  "Mr.,"  "Dear,"  and  "I"  begin  on  the 
same  vertical  line. 

6.  Why  is  the  colon  used  after  "Sir"? 

7.  Observe  that  Sentence  1  tells  when  and  why  the 
absence  occurred,  while  Sentence  2  asks  that  it  be 
excused.  The  body  of  an  excuse  should  always 
contain  these  three  elements. 

8.  What  word  joins  Sentence  2  to  Sentence  1? 

9.  What  is  the  grammatical  construction  of  "yours  "? 
Of  "truly"?  Of  "Erasmus  Darwin"? 

10.  What  are  the  "Four  W's"?  Should  any  of  them 
be  omitted  from  any  composition?  Answer:  The 
"Four  W's"  are  Who,  What,  When,  and  Where. 
These  must  stand  at  the  beginning  of  every  com- 
position, oral  or  written.  That  is  to  say,  no  com- 
position makes  a  situation  clear  to  a  reader  unless 
it  explains  four  things :  (1)  W7ho  is  concerned;  (2) 
What  is  in  question;  (3)  When  it  happened;  (4) 
Where  it  happened.  When  the  situation  has  been 
established  by  means  of  these  four  pillars,  we  are 
ready  for  the  fifth  "W,"  or  Why.  But  more  of 
this  anon. 

VI.  Method  of  Presentation 

A  note  for  teachers 

1.  On  Monday  and  Tuesday  dictate  to  the  class 
the  form  of  excuse  customarily  used  in  the  school. 
Have  one  pupil  write  it  on  the  board.  Let  pupils 
exchange  papers  while  the  teacher  corrects  the 
copy  on  the  board.  The  outcome  of  this  work 
must  be  that  each  pupil  has  a  perfect  copy  in  his 


LETTER  WRITING  11 

notebook.   This  should  be  accomplished  not  later 
than  Wednesday  morning. 

2.  Let  the  "Notes  and  Queries"  be  studied  for 
Thursday. 

3.  Friday  —  Public  Speaking,  or  Oral  Composition. 

4.  Fill  in  spare  time,  if  there  is  any,  with  oral  compo- 
sition based  on  the  work  being  done  by  pupils  in 
other  classes. 

VII.  Subjects  for  Oral  Composition 

1.  Why  is  absence  bad  for  a  pupil? 

2.  Why  is  absence  bad  for  a  class? 

3.  Why  is  absence  bad  for  a  school? 

4.  There  are  two  hundred  school  days  in  a  year.  A 
school  cannot  do  efficient  work  unless  its  attend- 
ance record  averages  97.5  per  cent.  If  a  pupil  is 
absent  ten  days  in  four  weeks  or  twenty  days, 
how  many  times  at  the  same  rate  will  he  be  ab- 
sent in  a  year?  How  many  pupils  with  perfect 
records  will  be  required  to  offset  the  damage  done 
by  this  one  delinquent? 

5.  Are  there  any  sufficient  excuses  for  absence  ex- 
cept illness?  If  so,  what  are  they?  Why  are  they 
sufficient? 

VIII.  Memorize 

THE   BUILDERS  (continued  from  Page  7  ) 

In  the  elder  days  of  Art, 

Builders  wrought  with  greatest  care 

Each  minute  and  unseen  part, 
For  the  gods  see  everywhere. 

Let  us  do  our  work  as  well, 

Both  the  unseen  and  the  seen; 
Make  the  house,  where  gods  may  dwell, 

Beautiful,  entire,  and  clean. 


12  LETTER  WRITING 

Else  our  lives  are  incomplete. 
Standing  in  these  walls  of  Time, 

Broken  stairways,  where  the  feet 
Stumble  as  they  seek  to  climb. 
{Continued  on  Page  16.) 


CHAPTER  III 

LETTER   WRITING — ■  EXCUSES    FOR    TARDINESS 
"An  ounce  of  success  is  worth  a  ton  of  excuses." 

I.  Problem 

Write  in  the  form  of  a  business  letter  an  excuse  for 
tardiness.  If  you  are  tardy,  you  will  not  be  permitted 
to  enter  any  of  your  classes  until  you  have  succeeded 
in  producing  a  letter  which  is  satisfactory  in  content 
and  flawless  in  technique  down  to  the  last  dot. 

II.  Model 

Lincoln  High  School, 
Pomona,  California. 

Sept.  21,  1914. 

Miss  Sadie  Jean  Fox, 

Lincoln  High  School, 

Pomona,  California. 
Dear  Miss  Fox: 

I  reached  school  at8.01  this  morning  and  am  therefore  late 
for  my  first  class.  This  misfortune  is  due  to  no  fault  of  my 
own,  but  to  the  fact  that  a  coal  wagon,  which  had  broken 
down  on  the  track,  delayed  my  car  about  ten  minutes.  If  you 
will  excuse  me,  I  will  promise  hereafter  to  start  from  home  so 
early  that  no  similar  accident  will  produce  a  similar  result. 

Yours  truly, 

Oliver  Goldsmith. 

III.  Time  Schedule  1 

Monday 

(a)  Dictation  of  model. 

(b)  Discussion  of  the  following  topics: 

1  To  Teachers.  The  time  schedule  offered  here  is  of  course  merely 
suggestive.  Varying  conditions  demand  various  arrangements;  and 
deviations  from  this  and  the  following  schedules  may  and  should  fre- 


14  LETTER  WRITING 

1.  Point  out  the  "Four  W's." 

2.  Give  the  reason  for  each  mark  of  punctuation 
in  the  model. 

3.  Tell  whether  each  sentence  is  simple,  com- 
plex, or  compound. 

4.  Tell  what  part  of  speech  each  word  is. 

5.  Why  is  there  a  period  after  "Mr."  but  none 
after  "Miss"? 

6.  Explain  the  construction  of  morning,   first, 
due,  wagon,  which,  down,  car. 

Tuesday 

(a)  Reading  of  minutes  of  Monday's  lesson. 
(6)  Review  of  Monday's  lesson  and  of  last  week's 
"Notes  and  Queries." 

(c)  Observe  that  Sentence  1  in  the  model  states  the 
facts  of  the  case,  that  Sentence  2  offers  an  excuse, 
and  that  Sentence  3  contains  a  promise.  These  are 
the  three  essentials  of  an  excuse  for  tardiness. 

(d)  What  is  wrong  with  the  following  excuse?  Why 
does  it  seem  ludicrous? 

Dear  Mr.  Corns: 

Please  excuse  Reginald's  tardiness.    He  fell  down 
in  the  mud.  You  will  greatly  oblige  me  by  doing  the 

same. 

Mrs.  Smith. 

(e)  In  the  model  what  word  or  words  connect 
Sentence  2  to  Sentence  1  and  Sentence  3  to  Sen- 
tence 2? 

(/)  Observe  that  these  excuses  are  in  reality  business 
letters.    You  are  asked  to  learn  to  write  them 

quently  be  made  in  order  to  get  the  best  results.  They  are  inserted 
in  the  hope  and  belief  that  they  may  be  helpful  to  teachers  whose 
experience  in  composition  teaching  is  limited  and  to  pupils  who  find 
the  study  of  English  indefinite. 


LETTER  WRITING  15 

with  absolute  accuracy  because  every  man  and 
woman  needs  this  skill. 

(g)  Write  in  class  an  excuse  for  tardiness,  being  care- 
ful to  embody  in  it  all  of  the  essentials  shown  in 
the  model. 

Wednesday 

(a)  Reading  and  discussion  of  the  excuses  written 
Tuesday.  Writers  must  be  ready  to  defend  their 
reasons  and  their  English. 

(b)  Questions  for  Oral  Discussion. 

1.  Why  is  tardiness  bad  for  a  school? 

2.  For  a  pupil? 

3.  If  there  are  two  hundred  school  days  in  a  year 
and  the  superintendent  expects  that  each 
school  shall  have  a  percentage  of  99.5  in 
punctuality,  how  many  pupils  with  perfect 
records  are  required  to  offset  the  sins  of  one 
boy  who  is  tardy  five  times  in  fifty  school 
days?  If  a  boy  is  tardy  five  times  in  fifty 
days,  he  will  probably  be  tardy  twenty  times 
in  two  hundred   days. 

4.  Find,  copy  into  your  notebook,  and  bring  to 
class  three  quotations  on  the  subject  of 
promptness.  When  the  roll  is  called,  you  will 
be  expected  to  answer  with  one  of  these. 
Quotations  previously  given  will  not  be  ac- 
cepted.  The  following  may  help : 

(a)  Procrastination  is  the  thief  of  time. 

Edward  Young  (1684-1765). 

(b)  Time,  sir,  time  is  everything.  Five  minutes 
make  the  difference  between  victory  and  de- 
feat. 

Horatio  Nelson  (1758-1805). 


16  LETTER  WRITING 

(c)  I  owe  all  that  I  have  achieved  to  being  ready  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  before  it  was  deemed  neces- 
sary to  be  so. 

Arthur  Wellesley,  Duke  of  Wellington 
(1769-1852). 

Thursday 

(a)  Oral  Composition  on  topics  drawn  from  current 
work  in  other  subjects. 

(b)  Hand  finished  excuses  to  teacher. 
Friday 

Public  Speaking.  The  programs  for  Friday 
should  be  arranged  by  a  committee  of  club  mem- 
bers appointed  by  the  president  of  the  club.  It 
should  include  the  recitation  of  poems,  declama- 
tions, exceptionally  good  finished  themes,  de- 
bates, and  short  plays.  The  teacher  should  see 
to  it  that  everybody  takes  part  in  these  exercises, 
and  as  Critic  should  offer  criticisms  on  the  follow- 
ing Monday  morning.  On  Friday,  however,  he 
should  be  seen,  not  heard. 

IV.  Memorize 

THE   BUILDERS  (continued  from  Page  12) 

Build  to-day,  then,  strong  and  sure, 
With  a  firm  and  steadfast  base; 

And,  ascending  and  secure, 
Shall  to-morrow  find  its  place. 

Thus  alone  can  we  attain 

To  those  turrets,  where  the  eye 

Sees  the  world  as  one  vast  plain 
And  one  boundless  reach  of  sky. 

Henry  Wadsworth  Longfellow. 


CHAPTER  IV 

LETTERS   OF   FRIENDSHIP  —  YOUR   SCHOOL 

"Work  with  your  eye  on  the  clock  —  result  misery;  work  with 
your  eye  on  your  work  —  result  happiness." 

I.  Problem 

Write  to  a  friend  a  letter  describing  your  school. 

II.  Model 

Shelford,  February  22,  1813. 
My  dear  Papa: 

As  this  is  a  whole  holiday,  I  cannot  find  a  better  time  for 
answering  your  letter.  With  respect  to  my  health,  I  am  very 
well  and  tolerably  cheerful,  as  Blundell,  the  best  and  most 
clever  of  all  the  scholars,  is  very  kind,  and  talks  to  me,  and 
takes  my  part. 

In  my  learning  I  do  Xenophon  every  day  and  twice  a 
week  the  Odyssey,  in  which  I  am  classed  with  Wilber- 
force,  whom  all  the  boys  allow  to  be  very  clever,  very 
droll,  and  very  impudent.  We  do  Latin  verses  twice  a  week, 
and  I  have  not  yet  been  laughed  at.  We  are  also  exercised 
once  a  week  in  English  composition  and  once  in  Latin  com- 
position and  letters  of  persons  renowned  in  history  to  each 
other.  We  get  by  heart  Greek  grammar  or  Virgil  every  even- 
ing. As  for  sermon  writing,  I  have  hitherto  got  off  with 
credit. 

We  had  the  first  meeting  of  our  debating  society  the  other 
day,  when  a  vote  of  censure  was  moved  for  upon  Wrilber- 
force;  but  he,  getting  up,  said:  "Mr.  President,  I  second  the 
motion."   By  this  means  he  escaped. 

My  room  is  a  delightful  little  chamber,  which  nobody  can 
enter,  as  there  is  a  trick  about  opening  the  door.  I  sit  like  a 
king,  with  my  writing-desk  before  me,  for  (would  you  believe 
it?)  there  is  a  writing-desk  in  my  chest  of  drawers,  my  books 
on  one  side,  my  box  of  papers  on  the  other,  with  my  arm- 


18  LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP 

chair  and  my  candle,  for  every  boy  has  a  candlestick,  snuf- 
fers, and  extinguisher  of  his  own. 

Your  affectionate  son, 

Thomas  B.  Macaulay. 

III.  Suggested  Time  Schedule 

Monday  —  Dictation. 
Tuesday  —  Notes  and  Queries. 
Wednesday  —  Oral  Composition. 
Thursday  —  Oral  Composition. 

Friday  —  (a)  Hand  in  Written  Composition. 
(b)  Public  Speaking. 

IV.  Notes  and  Queries 

Macaulay  wrote  this  letter  when  he  was  not  quite 
thirteen  years  old.  You  can  probably  do  as  well,  if  you 
try.  In  order  to  prepare  to  do  so,  answer  the  following 
questions : 

1.  What  did  Macaulay  do  when  he  grew  up?  If  you 
do  not  know,  tell  how  you  would  go  to  work  to 
find  out. 

2.  What  is  the  subject  of  the  whole  letter?  Of  each 
paragraph?  In  your  letter  use  the  same  para- 
graph subjects.  Instead  of  your  room  at  home, 
you  may  describe  your  school  room. 

3.  How  many  simple  sentences  does  the  letter  con- 
tain?  Compound?   Complex? 

4.  Explain  the  construction  of:  "holiday"  (1.  1); 
"week"  (1.  6);  "whom"  (1.  6);  "twice"  (1.  8); 
"hitherto"  (1.  12). 

5.  (a)  Had  Macaulay  been  long  at  Shelf ord  when  he 

wrote  this? 

(b)  What  course  was  he  taking? 

(c)  What  did  he  have  to  do  in  English? 

(d)  Find  a  simile. 


LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP  19 

6.  Is  there  any  practical  good  which  can  come  from 
an  exercise  like  this?   If  so,  what? 

V.  Oral  Composition 

Prepare  yourself  to  dictate  to  the  class  without  notes 
a  letter  planned  after  the  model.  Be  sure  that  it 
has  four  paragraphs,  as  follows: 

1.  My  Health. 

2.  My  Work. 

3.  My  Play. 

4.  My  Room,  Private  Refuge,  or  Den. 

If  you  do  a  good  piece  of  work,  your  classmates 
and  teacher  will  praise  you.  If  you  are  careless, 
you  may  expect  a  storm  of  criticism,  against 
which  you  must  defend  yourself  as  well  as  you 
can. 

VI.  Written  Composition 

Write  your  letter,  bring  it  to  class,  and  on  entering 
hand  it  to  your  teacher,  who  will  proof-read  it 
and  return  it  to  you  on  Monday.  Write  with  the 
greatest  care.  Use  black  ink.  Rewrite  your  letter 
until  you  are  sure  that  it  is  perfect  in  form,  spell- 
ing, punctuation,  capitalization,  and  grammar. 
Gibbon  rewrote  the  first  sentence  of  his  Decline 
and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire  no  less  than  thir- 
teen times.   Chaucer  says: 

"There  n'  is  ne  werkeman,  whatever  he  be, 
That  can  both  werken  wel  and  hastile." 

One  per  cent  will  be  deducted  from  your  standing 
for  each  mistake  in  spelling,  punctuation,  capi- 
talization, grammar,  and  the  other  essentials  of 
good  usage.  If  you  make  more  than  ten  of  these 
you  will  be  required  to  rewrite  your  letter.  Two 


50 


LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP 


per  cent  will  be  deducted  for  each  error  in  this 
revision.  If  you  make  more  than  five  errors  in 
each  one  hundred  words,  you  will  be  required  to 
rewrite  your  letter  a  second  time.  This  process 
of  revision  will  continue  until  your  composition 
is  letter  perfect  or  until  your  teacher  succumbs 
to  old  age.  The  following  table  of  standards  is 
suggested  to  teachers: 


First  Revision 
Second  Revision 
Third  Revision 
Fourth  Revision 
Fifth  Revision 


Scale  of  marks 


—  2  for  each  error  in 
one  hundred  words 

—  4  for  each  error  in 
one  hundred  words 

—  8  for  each  error  in 
one  hundred  words 

—  16  for  each  error  in 
one  hundred  words 


Maximum  percentage  of 
errors  allowed ' 


Five  in  one  hundred 
words 

Three  in  one  hundred 
words 

One  in  one  hundred 
words 

None 


"Diseases  desperate  grown  by  desperate  appli- 
ance are  relieved  or  not  at  all."  Shakespeare. 


1  This  means  that,   if  the  maximum  number  of  errors  allowed  be  exceeded,   the 
composition  must  be  rewritten. 

VII.  Memorize 

THE  RIGHT  WAY  TO  READ 

We  get  no  good 
By  being  ungenerous,  even  to  a  book, 
And  calculating  profits,  —  so  much  help 
By  so  much  reading.   It  is  rather  when 
We  gloriously  forget  ourselves  and  plunge 
Soul-forward,  headlong,  into  a  book's  profound, 
Impassioned  for  its  beauty  and  salt  of  truth  — 
'T  is  then  we  get  the  right  good  from  a  book. 

Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning. 


CHAPTER  V 

PROOF-READING 

"Genius  is  only  a  very  great  capacity  for  taking  pains." 

I.  Introduction 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  is  the  correction  of  proof. 
When  the  type  is  set  in  a  printing-office,  the  first 
impression,  called  a  proof,  is  sent  for  correction  to  an 
employee  called  a  proof-reader,  and  then  to  the  editor, 
or  to  the  author.  The  mistakes  are  corrected  by  means 
of  a  system  of  shorthand  which  is  described  in  full  on 
Page  2550  of  Webster's  New  International  Dictionary.1 
In  the  correction  of  themes  teachers,  as  far  as  possible, 
will  use  the  proof-readers'  signs  to  indicate  mistakes. 
A  knowledge  of  them  is  a  necessary  part  of  a  liberal 
education;  and,  since  thousands  of  people  earn  their 
living  by  reading  proof,  it  may  have  a  direct  vocational 
value.  Moreover,  nearly  every  person  is  called  upon 
occasionally  to  read  proof. 

II.  Time  Schedule 

Monday 

Write  these  questions  and  the  answers  in  ink  in  your 
notebook : 

What  mark  signifies 

1.  Delete  or  expunge? 

2.  A  space  or  more  space  between  words,  letters,  or 

lines? 

1  If  dictionaries  are  scarce,  certain  members  of  the  club  (or  class) 
may  be  appointed  as  a  committee  to  find  the  answers  and  report 
them  to  the  others. 


S2  PROOF-READING 

3.  Less  space  or  no  space  between  words  or  let- 
ters? 

4.  Carry  a  word  farther  to  the  left?  To  the  right? 

5.  Indent? 

6.  Straighten  a  margin? 

7.  Make  new  paragraphs? 

8.  Put  in  italics? 

9.  Put  in  small  capitals? 

10.  Put  in  capitals? 

11.  Transpose? 

12.  Put  in  small  letters  a  word  or  letter  that  is  in 
capitals? 

Tuesday  and  Wednesday 

1.  Learn  the  answers  to  Monday's  questions. 

2.  Dictation  and  correction,  by  the  signs,  of  the 
following  verses,  which  in  themselves  constitute 
a  system  of  shorthand.  This  exercise  will  also 
extend  through  Wednesday.1 

AN  A-Z   (AISY)   METHOD  FOR  MARKING  THEMES 

A  is  for  Accurate;  you  have  not  said 

Precisely  the  thing  that  you  had  in  your  head. 

B  is  for  Bravo;  it  means  you  have  won 

Your  teacher's  approval;  your  work  is  well  done. 

1  Every  school  has,  or  should  have,  some  system  of  shorthand  to 
supplement  the  standard  proof-readers'  signs.  Of  these  systems  it 
may  be  said:  " 'T  is  with  our  systems  as  our  watches;  no  two  go  just 
alike,  yet  each  believes  his  own."  These  verses  constitute  such  a 
system,  probably  neither  better  nor  worse  than  hundreds  of  others. 
Pupils  whose  teachers  use  "The  A-Z  Method"  will  perceive  that  the 
scheme  consists  in  indicating  a  mistake  in  grammar  by  placing  a  G 
in  the  margin  of  a  composition  opposite  the  line  containing  the  error, 
etc.  One  letter  thus  means  as  much  as  a  whole  couplet.  The  verses 
at  least  have  the  merit  of  being  easily  memorized  and  remembered 
by  pupilsand  the  corrections  do  not  much  fatigue  a  teacher's  fingers. 
It  may  be  added  that  a  standard  system  of  marks  universally  used 
would  be  a  blessing  to  the  human  race. 


PROOF-READING  23 

C  stands  for  Construction;  your  sentence  is  weak 
Because  it  was  not  built  with  care,  so  to  speak. 

D  is  for  Doubtful;  your  meaning's  in  doubt; 
Ambiguity's  fatal;  cast  the  oaf  out. 

E  is  for  Emphasis;  points  that  are  strong 

First  or  last  in  the  theme  or  the  sentence  belong. 

F  is  for  Facts;  you  will  scribble  in  vain 

If  a  grip  on  these  churls  you  don't  get  and  retain 

G  is  for  Grammar;  your  grammar's  at  fault; 

On  the  fortress  of  syntax  you've  made  an  assault. 

H  is  for  Hackneyed;  the  story  you've  told 
In  the  days  of  Nebuchadnezzar  was  old. 

I  stands  for  Instructions.    Learn  to  obey. 

He  who  humbles  himself  is  exalted,  they  say. 

J  is  for  Joining;  each  sentence  should  lead 

By  an  easy  transition  from  those  which  precede. 

K  is  for  Key- Word;  your  title  should  be 
To  open  your  subject  an  accurate  key. 

L  is  for  Length;  your  story's  too  long; 

Brevity  marks  most  writing  that's  strong. 

M  is  for  Manuscript.    Do  please  take  pains. 

Careless  handwriting  does  not  bespeak  brains. 

N  is  for  Number;  pray  take  it  from  me 

That  subject  and  verb  should  in  number  agree. 

O  is  for  Order;  your  words  are  arranged 

In  an  order  which  may  to  advantage  be  changed. 

P  Punctuation!    Such  errors  can  mostly  be  traced 
To  a  lack  of  grammatical  training,  —  or  haste. 

Q  stands  for  Quotation.    Quotation  marks  show 
How  much  of  your  wit  to  others  you  owe. 

R  stands  for  Redundant.    Pray  note  and  take  heed: 

Don't  repeat  words  or  thoughts  unless  there  is  need. 


24  PROOF-READING 

S  is  for  Spelling;  you've  misspelled  a  word; 

Noah  Webster  will  teach  you  wherein  you  have  erred. 

T  is  for  Tense;  don't  flounder  and  flop 

From  Father  Time's  feet  to  Eternity's  top. 

U  is  for  Unity;  ash-pile  and  dough 

Were  never  designed  in  the  parlor  to  go. 

V  is  for  Vulgar,  and  slang  is  a  thing 

That  a  parrot  can  use  as  well  as  a  king. 

W  is  for  Words;  they  are  quaint  in  their  ways; 
Some  other  word  here  will  better  the  phrase. 

X  stands  for  Unknown.    Your  error  to  find 

As  an  X-ray  employ  right  now  your  own  mind. 

Y  is  for  Youth;  if  you're  indolent  now. 

You'll  be  ditto  when  age  has  wrinkled  your  brow. 

Z  is  for  Zero;  pray  take  up  your  pen, 

And  with  painstaking  care  write  this  paper  again. 

Thursday 

Notes  and  Queries 

1.  What  part  of  speech  is  each  word  in  A  ? 

2.  What  kind  of  sentence  is  B  ? 

3.  Define  "ambiguity"  and  "oaf." 

4.  What  are  the  emphatic  places  in  a  sentence? 

5.  What  is  a  metaphor?   Explain  the  metaphor  in 

1  A  simile  is  an  expressed  comparison  between  two  things  or  per- 
sons that  are  essentially  unlike.  For  instance,  when  Goldsmith,  in 
writing  of  a  village  preacher,  said  he  stood 

"As  some  tall  mount,  that  rears  its  awful  form, 
Swells  from  the  plain  and  midway  leaves  the  storm; 
Though  round  its  base  the  rolling  clouds  are  spread, 
Eternal  sunshine  settles  on  its  head," 

he  used  what  has  been  called  the  best  simile  in  the  English  language. 

A  metaphor  is  an  implied  simile.  Thus  Burns,  in  the  line, 

"Of  night's  black  arch  the  keystoao," 


PROOF-READING  25 

6.  Define  "hackneyed."   Write  a  note  of  25  words 
about  Nebuchadnezzar. 

7.  Explain  the  oxymoron  l  in  /. 

8.  How  are  the  couplets  in  this  poem  joined? 

9.  What  figure  of  speech  have  we  in  K  ? 

10.  What  is  brevity?   Why  is  it "  the  soul  of  wit "  ? 

11.  What  does  M  mean? 

12.  What  kind  of  sentence  is  N  ? 

13.  Is  it  vulgar  to  punctuate  correctly? 

14.  Why  do  so  many  people  find  it  hard  to  punctuate 
correctly? 

15.  Define  "redundant."     See  the  dictionary. 

16.  Find  in  the  verses  an  example  of  "redundancy." 

17.  In  what  tense  is  it  best  to  write  a  story? 

18.  How  many  ideas  should  a  sentence  contain?  A 
paragraph?  An  essay?  A  poem?  A  novel?  A 
play? 

19.  What  is  slang?  What  can  you  say  for  it?  Against 
it? 

III.  Memorize 

COLUMBUS 

Behind  him  lay  the  gray  Azores, 
Behind  the  Gates  of  Hercules; 
Before  him  not  the  ghost  of  shores, 
Before  him  only  shoreless  seas. 
The  good  mate  said:  "Now  must  we  pray, 
For  lo!  the  very  stars  are  gone. 
Brave  Admiral,  speak,  what  shall  I  say?" 
"Why,  say,  'Sail  on!  sail  on!  and  on!" 

implies  that  the  hour  of  twelve  midnight  is  like  the  keystone  of  an 
arch,  as  the  figure  XII  on  the  face  of  a  clock  occupies  the  same 
relative  position  as  that  of  a  keystone  in  an  arch. 

1  An  oxymoron  (Greek  oxy  —  "sharp"  +  moron  =  "  foolishness  ") 
is  a  phrase  or  sentence  which,  though  nonsense  when  taken  liter- 
ally, yet  really  contains  much  wisdom.  "Make  haste  slowly"  is  a 
good  example  of  oxymoron, 


26  PROOF-READING 

"My  men  grow  mutinous  day  by  day; 
My  men  grow  ghastly  wan  and  weak." 
The  stout  mate  thought  of  home;  a  spray 
Of  salt  wave  washed  his  swarthy  cheek. 

"What  shall  I  say,  brave  Admiral,  say, 
If  we  sight  naught  but  seas  at  dawn?" 

"Why,  you  shall  say  at  break  of  day, 
'Sail  on!  sail  on!  sail  on!  and  on!'" 

They  sailed  and  sailed,  as  winds  might  blow, 
Until  at  last  the  blanched  mate  said: 
"Why,  now  not  even  God  would  know 
Should  I  and  all  my  men  fall  dead. 
These  very  winds  forget  their  way, 
For  God  from  these  dread  seas  is  gone. 
Now  speak,  brave  Admiral,  speak  and  say"  — 
He  said:  "Sail  on!  sail  on!  and  on!" 

They  sailed.   They  sailed.  Then  spake  the  mate; 
"This  mad  sea  shows  his  teeth  to-night. 

He  curls  his  lip,  he  lies  in  wait, 

With  lifted  teeth,  as  if  to  bite! 

Brave  Admiral,  say  but  one  good  word: 

What  shall  we  do  when  hope  is  gone?" 

The  words  leapt  as  a  leaping  sword: 
"Sail  on!  sail  on!  sail  on!  and  on!" 

Then,  pale  and  worn,  he  kept  his  deck, 

And  peered  through  darkness.   Ah,  that  night 

Of  all  dark  nights!  And  then  a  speck  — 

A  light!  A  light!  A  light!  A  light! 

It  grew,  a  starlit  flag  unfurled! 

It  grew  to  be  Time's  burst  of  dawn. 

He  gained  a  world;  he  gave  that  world 

Its  grandest  lesson:  "On!  sail  on!" 

Joaquin  Miller. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES 

"Knowledge  is  of  two  kinds:  we  know  a  subject  ourselves  or  we 
know  where  we  can  find  information  upon  it." 

I.  Introduction 

The  object  of  this  chapter  is  to  furnish  in  a  compact 
form  an  explanation  of  the  principles  back  of  the 
statements  made  in  the  "  A-Z  Method."  It  really  con- 
tains a  brief  treatise  on  the  principles  of  rhetoric.  It 
may  be  used  either  for  recitation  or  for  reference.  It  is 
designed,  however,  to  cover  only  those  points  which 
experience  has  shown  to  be  peculiarly  difficult  for  high- 
school  pupils. 

II.  Explanation  of  the  A-Z  Method 
A.  Accuracy 

Always  to  say  exactly  what  you  mean  and  mean 
exactly  what  you  say  is  difficult.  Not  to  do  so  is  to  be 
misunderstood  or  ridiculous. 

Note  the  fault  in  each  of  these  sentences  and  rewrite 
it  so  as  to  eliminate  the  inaccuracy: 

1.  "In  1709  was  born  a  most  eccentric,  gruff,  and  fat  old 
man."  —  Essay  by  a  Pupil  in  High  School. 

2.  "Between  1759  and  1760  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  wrote  a 
dictionary  of  the  English  language."  —  Ibid. 

3.  "New  York  is  larger  than  any  city  in  America."  — 
Ibid. 

4.  "One  sees  him  sitting  at  the  table  writing  Paradise  Lost, 
while  his  daughters  unwillingly  read  to  him."  —  Ibid. 

5.  "Venice  is  a  city  in  Italy  built  on  water.   Its  longest 


28  THE  CORRECTION  OF  THEMES 

bridge  expands  the  Grand  Canal,  which  is  158  feet 
long."  —  Ibid. 

6.  "Longfellow  was  married  twice,  both  his  wives  having 
died."  —  Ibid. 

7.  A  Case  of  Gravity.  —  The  latest  Boston  story  is  about 
a  small  child  who  fell  out  of  a  window.  A  kind- 
hearted  lady  came  hurrying  up  with  the  anxious  ques- 
tion, "Dear,  dear!   How  did  you  fall?" 

The  child  looked  up  at  the  questioner  and  replied, 
in  a  voice  choked  with  sobs,  "Vertically,  ma'am."  — 
Tit-Bits. 

8.  A  Docile  Gun.  —  The  Daily  Chronicle  on  the  latest 
submarine:  "It  will  also  be  equipped  with  a  quick- 
firing  gun,  which  disappears  when  the  vessel  is  sub- 
merged." This  is  far  the  best  arrangement;  it  would 
never  do  for  it  to  be  left  floating  where  any  passer-by 
could  pick  it  up.  —  Punch. 

9.  Hardly  Possible.  —  Riding  in  an  omnibus  up  Regent 
Street  last  evening,  I  heard  an  old  lady  annoying  the 
other  passengers  by  her  remarks.  The  conductor  re- 
monstrated with  her,  saying,  "Ma'am,  remember  you 
are  in  a  public  vehicle,  and  behave  as  such."  —  C.  G.,  in 
the  London  Spectator. 

B.  Bravo! 

Teachers  should  use  this  mark  often.  It  is  better  to 
concentrate  attention  on  what  is  good  than  on  what  is 
bad.  The  world  forgets  or  overlooks  the  errors  of  great 
men,  but  remembers  their  positive  achievements.  Let 
us  revise  Antony's  statement  thus: 

"  The  good  deeds  which  men  do  live  after  them; 
The  bad  should  be  interred  with  their  bones." 

C.  Construction 

The  construction  of  sentences  is  an  art  which  it  takes 
years  to  acquire,  but  these  hints  may  help : 

1.  Buy  and  study  Bartlett's  Dictionary  of  Familiar  Quota- 
tions. It  is  one  of  the  greatest  books  that  America  has 
produced.    Some  people  use  it  more  than  any  other 


THE  CORRECTION  OF  THEMES  29 

book.   Your  father  might  be  induced  to  buy  it  for  you 
as  a  present. 

2.  Keep  a  notebook  and  enter  therein  any  sentence  which 
you  particularly  like. 

3.  Observe  that  skillful  writers  obtain  variety  in  sentence 
structure  by  using  a  judicious  mixture  of  simple,  com- 
pound, and  complex,  long  and  short,  loose,  periodic, 
and  balanced  sentences.  Try  to  use  a  reasonable  num- 
ber of  complex  sentences. 

4.  Contrast  your  own  sentence  structure  with  that  of  your 
favorite  author  or  with  the  models  for  composition  in 
this  book. 

D.  Doubtful 

A  statement  is  ambiguous  when  it  may  mean  two  or 
more  things.  Note  the  following  and  rewrite  them  in 
such  a  fashion  that  their  meaning  will  be  unmistak- 
able: 

1.  The  minister's  resignation  was  admirable. 

2.  Jack  promised  him  never  to  abandon  his  friends. 

3.  The  janitor  was  discharged  from  the  position  which  he 
had  held  for  eight  years  on  account  of  his  indolence. 

4.  D's  fortune  is  equal  to  half  of  E's,  which  is  ten  thousand 
dollars. 

5.  The  Romans  understood  liberty  at  least  as  well  as  we. 

6.  The  aviator  was  a  sober  man;  he  had  not  taken  a  drop 
for  two  years. 

E.  Emphasis 

The  beginning  and  end  are  the  emphatic  places  in  a 
sentence.  Emphasis  should  be  secured,  not  by  italics, 
but  by  placing  important  words  first  or  last.  A  devia- 
tion from  the  usual  order  will  also  emphasize  a  word. 
In  rare  cases  the  repetition  of  words  will  secure  the 
same  result.   Note  these  examples: 

1.  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians. 

2.  The  boy  —  oh!  where  was  he? 

3.  The  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth. 


30  THE  CORRECTION  OF  THEMES 

F.  Facts 

Facts  are  the  soul  of  composition.  If  you  have  some- 
thing to  say,  and  if  you  tell  the  truth,  you  can  hardly 
fail  as  a  writer  or  speaker.  The  greatness  of  books 
depends  on  their  contents.  Too  much  pains  cannot  be 
taken  in  gathering  facts.  Don't  deceive  yourself  with 
the  idea  that  you  can  dash  off  a  composition  in  fifteen 
minutes  without  knowing  anything  about  the  subject. 

The  stock  in  trade  of  the  professional  humorist  con- 
sists largely  of  sarcasm  aimed  at  ignorance  of  facts. 
For  example: 

1.  In  a  certain  textbook  on  arithmetic  designed  for  use  in 
schools  appears  the  following  ingenious  problem:  "A 
cannon  ball  travels  540  feet  in  one  second.  How  far 
will  it  be  from  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  after  the  lapse  of 
thirty-five  minutes?"  —  Sacred  Heart  Review. 

2.  The  little  agricultural  village  had  been  billed  with 
"Lecture  on  Keats"  for  over  a  fortnight.  The  evening 
arrived  at  length,  bringing  the  lecturer  ready  to  dis- 
course on  the  poet.  The  advertised  chairman,  taken 
ill  at  the  last  moment,  was  replaced  by  a  local  farmer. 
This  worthy  introduced  the  lecturer  and  terminated  his 
remarks  by  saying:  "And  now,  my  friends,  we  shall 
soon  all  know  what  I  personally  have  often  wondered 
—  what  are  Keats?"  —  Pittsburgh  Chronicle-Telegraph. 

3.  Old  Lady  —  "I've  brought  back  this  war-map  you 
sold  me  yesterday,  Mr.  Brown.  It's  not  up  to  date. 
I ' ve  been  looking  all  the  morning  for  Armageddon,  and 
can't  find  it  marked  anywhere."  —  Punch. 

4.  "Papa,  what  is  an  escutcheon?" 
"Why?" 

"This  story  says  there  was  a  blot  on  his  escutcheon." 
"Oh,  yes!   An  escutcheon  is  a  light-colored  vest.    He 
had  probably  been  carrying  a  fountain  pen."  —  Hous- 
ton Post. 

5.  Mischa  Elman  tells  a  story  of  his  early  youth.  He  was 
playing  at  a  reception  given  by  a  Russian  prince,  and 
played  Beethoven's  Kreutzer  Sonata,  which  has  several 


THE  CORRECTION  OF  THEMES  31 

long  and  impressive  rests  in  it.  During  one  of  these 
rests  a  motherly  old  lady  leaned  forward,  patted  him 
on  the  shoulder,  and  said:  "Play  something  you  know, 
dear."  —  Argonaut. 

G.  Grammar 
I.  Answer  the  following  questions : 

(a)  State  the  rule  for  the  agreement  of  subject  and  verb. 

(b)  What  do  adverbs  modify? 

(c)  What  caution  must  be  exercised  in  the  use  of  the 
definite  article? 

(d)  In  the  use  of  coordinate  conjunctions? 

(e)  What  is  a  restrictive  clause?  How  may  it  be  recog- 
nized? 

Why  should  it  not  be  set  off  by  a  commaP 
(/)  What  is  a  dangling  participle? 
(g)  A  cleft,  or  split,  infinitive? 

II.  Correct  the  following  sentences,  and  tell  what  is 
the  matter  with  each : 

1.  While  gone,  his  house  burns  down. 

2.  While  bathing  in  the  river  at  the  foot  of  Riopelle  St., 
a  $20.00  watch  was  lost  by  James  Grogan  yesterday. 

3.  Each  of  the  four  rules  are  as  important  as  the  other. 

4.  When  seven  years  of  age,  Lincoln  and  his  parents  went 
to  Illinois. 

5.  Each  one  washed  their  face. 
G.  Give  that  book  to  John  or  I. 

H.  Hackneyed 

"Hackneyed"  means  "worn  out,"  "battered," 
'decrepit,"  "second-hand,"  "on  the  verge  of  col- 
lapse." Do  your  own  thinking  and  writing.  Don't 
repeat  like  a  parrot  the  stock  phrases  of  other  people. 
Morally,  the  person  who  passes  off  as  his  own  the  ideas 
of  another  is  a  thief.  Intellectually,  he  is  a  pauper. 
Artistically,  he  is  a  pest  and  a  bore. 

I.  Instructions 

The  ability  to  follow  instructions  is  a  prerequisite  to 


32  THE  CORRECTION  OF  THEMES 

the  ability  to  command.  If  you  wish  to  rise  in  the 
world  you  must  learn  to  do  what  you  are  told.  It  in- 
volves the  will  to  do  right  and  an  intelligent  compre- 
hension of  the  task  to  be  done.  Some  years  ago  there 
was  an  outcry  in  Chicago  to  the  effect  that  high-school 
graduates  were  worthless  as  employees.  Accordingly 
a  committee  of  high-school  teachers  waited  on  various 
business  men  for  the  purpose  of  finding  out  what  sort 
of  training  they  deemed  desirable.  Almost  to  a  man 
they  replied:  "We  want  boys  and  girls  who  have  been 
trained  to  do  what  they  have  been  told." 

J.  Joining 

In  the  following  poem,  note  how  the  italicized 
words  hook  the  sentences  together.  Apply  the  same 
test:  (1)  To  the  editorials  in  to-day's  paper;  (2)  To 
your  own  compositions. 

Mary  had  a  little  lamb, 

Its  fleece  was  white  as  snow. 
And  everywhere  that  Mary  went 

The  lamb  was  sure  to  go. 

He  followed  her  to  school  one  day, 

Which  was  against  the  rule, 
For  it  made  the  children  laugh  and  play 

To  see  that  lamb  in  school. 

A  distinguished  French  writer,  Taine,  says  that  the 
whole  art  of  composition  consists  in  writing  with  hooks 
and  eyes. 

K.  Key -Words 

The  title  of  a  book  or  a  composition  should  be  brief 
and  should  arouse  curiosity  sufficient  to  lead  people  to 
read  what  follows.  The  best  titles  consist  of  single 
words  or  phrases.  Verbs,  adjectives,  and  adverbs 
should  be  avoided  in  titles.  All  nouns  in  titles  should 
begin  with  capital  letters. 


THE  CORRECTION  OF  THEMES  33 

L.  Length 

The  length  of  a  composition  should  be  determined 
by  the  importance  of  the  subject  and  the  character  of 
the  audience.  Brevity  is  usually,  though  not  always, 
the  soul  of  wit.  One  rule  is,  however,  universally  ap- 
plicable: "Stop  a  little  before  you  reach  your  wit's 
end." 

M .  Manuscript 

Each  school  should  have  a  standard  form  for  the 
preparation  of  manuscript.  It  is  important  that 
students  in  all  classes  observe  the  following  points  in 
this  connection:  • 

1.  Use  the  standard  paper  of  the  school.  ' 

2.  Use  black  ink  and  good  pens. 

3.  Write  legibly. 

4.  Write  on  only  one  side  of  the  paper. 

5.  Watch  your  margins. 

6.  Number  each  page. 

7.  Write  your  name  and  the  title  of  your  theme  on  each 
page. 

N.  Number 

The  subject  should  agree  with  the  verb  in  number 
and  in  person. 

0.  Order 

1.  Order  is  heaven's  first  law.  Put  your  ideas  in  an 
order  determined  by  a  definite  plan.  There  are  several 
good  arrangements: 

1.  The  order  of  time.   Arrange  your  items  in  the  order  in 
which  they  occurred. 

2.  The  order  of  logic.    Put  the  cause  first  and  the  result 
last. 

3.  The  order  of  climax.  Begin  with  the  least  and  end  with 
the  most  striking  item. 

4.  The  military  order.  Put  first  your  second  best  and  end 
with  your  best  point. 


34  THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES 

II.  Modifiers  should  stand  close  to  the  words  they 
modify.  Observe  how  the  shifting  of  the  word  "only" 
shifts  the  meaning  of  these  sentences: 

1.  Only  John  and  I  go  to  ball  games  in  the  summer. 

2.  John  and  I  only  go  to  ball  games  in  the  summer. 

3.  John  and  I  go  only  to  ball  games  in  the  summer. 

4.  John  and  I  go  to  ball  games  only  in  the  summer. 

P.  Punctuation 

I.  Learn  by  heart  the  following: 

Theorem:  The  Fundamental  Law  of  Punctuation  is  that 
words,  phrases,  and  clauses  which  are  logically  disjoined  shall 
be  set  off  by  marks  of  punctuation. 

Corollary  I.  From  this  fundamental  law  is  derived  the 
Law  of  Isolating  Parenthetical  Expressions.  This  provides 
that  vocatives,  explanatory  expressions,  and  non-restrictive 
clauses  shall  be  set  off  by  commas. 

Corollary  II.  The  need  of  having  large  marks  to  dis- 
tinguish large  breaks  in  syntax  from  small  results  in  the  Laio 
of  Gradation,  which  requires  that  we  shall  use  a  period  at  the 
end  of  a  sentence,  and  a  semicolon  at  the  end  of  a  main 
clause  in  a  compound  sentence. 

Corollary  III.  The  fundamental  law  conversely  requires 
that  we  shall  not  separate  expressions  that  are  closely  united 
by  the  bonds  of  logic  or  grammar.  Hence  it  follows  that  there 
must  be  no  comma  between  a  restrictive  clause  and  its  ante- 
cedent, between  a  subject  and  its  verb,  or  between  a  verb 
and  its  object.  There  may,  however,  be  two  commas,  when 
they  are  required  by  the  law  of  isolating  parenthetical 
expressions. 

II.  Answer  the  following  questions: 

1.  When  is  it  proper  to  use  a  semicolon  in  a  simple  sen- 
tence? In  a  complex  sentence?  In  a  compound  sen- 
tence? See  Corollary  II. 

2.  When  is  it  proper  to  use  one  comma  between  the  sub- 
ject and  verb?  Between  the  verb  and  object?  Why? 
See  Theorem. 

3.  When  is  it  proper  to  use  two  commas  between  the 


THE   CORRECTION  OF  THEMES  35 

subject  and   verb?    Between   the  verb    and   object? 
Why?    See  Theorem. 

4.  What  is  the  rule  for  punctuating  words  in  a  series? 
Answer:  Do  it  thus:  "Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry";  "Eng- 
land, France,  and  Germany."  Remember,  however, 
that  a  series  means  three  or  more  items. 

5.  What  is  the  rule  for  punctuating  two  or  more  adjectives 
preceding  one  noun?  Answer:  "It  is  best  never  to  use 
more  than  one  adjective  before  one  noun."  Lowell's 
rule  was:  "Cut  out  the  adjectives  and  adverbs.  Let  the 
nouns  and  verbs  do  the  work."  If  you  must  use  several 
adjectives  the  rule  is  this:  1.  Adjectives  of  the  same 
class  are  to  be  separated  by  commas;  as  "A  red,  white, 
and  blue  flag."  2.  Adjectives  of  different  classes  are  not 
to  be  separated;  as,  "A  fine  bright  moonlight  night." 

III.  Some  relative  clauses  are  essential  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  sentences  in  which  they  stand;  they  cannot 
be  removed  without  reducing  them  to  nonsense.  Ex- 
amine the  following  sentences  and  tell  which  clauses 
can  be  removed  and  which  cannot  without  destroying 
the  meaning: 

1.  He  who  buys  needs  a  hundred  eyes,  while  he  who  sells 
has  occasion  for  only  one.  —  Italian  Proverb. 

2.  All's  well  that  ends  well.  —  Shakespeare. 

3.  Here  lies  our  sovereign  lord,  the  King, 

Whose  word  no  man  relies  on; 
He  never  says  a  foolish  thing 
And  never  does  a  wise  one. 

Earl  of  Rochester. 

4.  Here  thou,  great  Anna,  whom  three  realms  obey 
Dost  sometimes  counsel  take  and  sometimes  tea. 

Pope. 

5.  Errors,  like  straws,  upon  the  surface  flow; 

He  who  would  search  for  pearls  must  dive  below. 

Dry  den. 

6.  Uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown. 

Shakespeare. 

7.  It  is  unreasonable  and  unwholesome  in  all  months  that 
have  not  an  R  in  their  name  to  eat  an  oyster. 

Butler,  Dyefs  Dry  Dinner.  (1599.) 


36  THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES 

8.  They  were  at  their  wits'  end,  which  was  no  long  journey 

9.  Some  village  Hampden,  that  with  dauntless  breast 

The  little  tyrant  of  his  fields  withstood, 
Some  mute  inglorious  Milton  here  may  rest, 

Some  Cromwell,  guiltless  of  his  country's  blood. 

Gray. 
10.  Here  lies  Nolly  Goldsmith,  for  shortness  called  Noll, 
Who  wrote  like  an  angel  and  talked  like  poor  poll. 

Garrick. 

Observe:  (1)  that  those  clauses  which  cannot  be 
removed  narrow  or  restrict  the  number  of  objects  to 
which  their  antecedents  can  refer,  while  those  which 
can  be  removed  simply  add  some  information;  (2)  that 
these  subtracting  clauses  are  called  restrictive  and 
these  adding  clauses  non-restrictive;  (3)  that  restric- 
tive clauses  are  closely  and  non-restrictive  loosely  con- 
nected with  their  antecedents;  and  (4)  that,  in  conse- 
quence, the  fundamental  law  of  punctuation  requires 
that  restrictive  clauses  shall  not  be  separated  from 
their  antecedents  by  commas,  but  that  non-restrictive 
clauses  shall  be. 

This  rule  is  important.  Unless  you  know  it  and  can 
apply  it,  you  cannot  be  sure  of  punctuating  correctly 
any  sentence  that  contains  a  relative  clause. 

Exercise  :  Find  in  this  book  five  restrictive  and  five 
non-restrictive  clauses. 

Q.  Quotations 

If  you  quote,  use  quotation  marks.  Otherwise  you 
are  guilty  of  larceny.  The  following  story  illustrates 
the  value  of  an  apt  quotation  and  at  the  same  time 
shows  how  quotation  marks  should  be  used: 

At  a  recent  election  the  candidate  was  "heckled"  by  the 
local  butcher.  At  last  he  grew  tired  of  it,  and  hinted  that  the 
man  was  wasting  time  by  asking  silly  questions. 

The  butcher,  enraged,  retorted: 


THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES 


37 


"If  I  had  you  in  my  sausage-machine  I'd  make  mincemeat 

of  you." 

The  candidate  turned  to  him,  and  asked  gently: 

"'Is   thy   servant    a    dog    that    thou   shouldst   do   this 

thing?'"  l  —  Tit-Bits. 

R.  Repetition 

I.  The  technical  name  for  the  unskillful  repetition  of 
words  or  ideas  is  tautology.  Avoid  it,  lest  you  fall  into 
pitfalls  like  the  following: 

1.  "During  the  entire  treatise  fragments  of  humor  are 
scattered  throughout."  —  Johnny  Jones. 

2.  "Let  observation,  with  extensive  view, 

Survey  mankind  from    China  to  Peru."  —  Samuel 
Johnson. 

Sometimes,  however,  words  are  purposely  re- 


II. 


Note 


2. 


S. 


peated  to  secure  effect.  This  is  called  anaphora 

these  examples : 

1.  Government  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the 
people.  —  Abraham  Lincoln. 

That  it  exists  cannot  be  denied.  That  it  is  an  evil  can- 
not be  denied.  That  it  is  a  growing  evil  cannot  be 
denied.  —  Macaulay. 

Spelling 

I.  The  following  words  are  fairly  entitled  to  be 
called  the  hundred  worst  words.  Probably  they  are 
more  often  misspelled  by  high-school  pupils  than  are 
any  other  100  words  in  the  language: 

19  diner 

20  dining 

21  dinner 

22  disappear 

23  disappoint 

24  effect 

25  eighth 


1  accept 

2  accommodate 

3  affect 

4  all  right 

5  already 

6  angel 

7  angle 

8  athletics 

9  believe 


10  benefit 

11  business 

12  calendar 

13  committee 

14  complement 

15  compliment 

16  describe 

17  din 

18  dine 


26  equal 

27  equation 

1  2  Kings,  vin,  13. 


28  except 

29  forty 

30  forty-five 

31  fourth 

32  government 

33  grammar 

34  hoping 

35  hopping 

36  immediately 


88 


THE   CORRECTION   OF  THEMES 


37  judgment 

38  laboratory 
3!)  lead 

40  led 

41  loose 
12  lose 
43  losing 

41  necessary 

45  niece 

46  ninety 

47  occasion 

48  occurred 

49  parallel 

50  Parliament 

51  peace 

52  piece 


53  plain 

54  plane 

55  planed 

56  planned 

57  precede 

58  prejudice 

59  preparation 

60  principal 

61  principle 

62  privilege 

63  proceed 

64  professor 

65  quiet 

66  quite 

67  receive 

68  recommend 


69  refer 

70  referred 

71  seize 

72  separate 

73  shepherd 

74  siege 

75  similar 

76  stationary 

77  stationery 

78  stopped 

79  studying 

80  there 

81  their 

82  to 

83  together 

84  too 


85  truly 

86  two 

87  until 

88  village 

89  villain 

90  weather 

91  weird 

92  where 

93  whether 

94  which 

95  whose 

96  writ 

97  write 

98  writer 

99  writing 
100  written 


Define  each  of  these  words,  spell  it,  and  use  it  in 
a  sentence. 

II.  Some  results  of  careless  spelling: 

1.  I  was  helled  for  an  hour  in  the  office.     Tardy  Pupil. 

2.  We  ascended  Vesuvius  to  see  the  creator  smoke. 

One  who  is  not  intentionally  blasphemous. 

III.  Capitalization  is  one  branch  of  spelling.  The 
fundamental  law  of  capitalization  is:  "All  proper 
names  must  be  capitalized."  Why  do  we  write  this 
sentence  thus:  "The  Franklin  High  School  is  the 
largest  high  school  in  Athens"? 

IV.  The  spelling  of  the  possessive  case  is  a  source  of 
trouble  to  many  high-school  pupils.  Pray  remember: 

1.  The  possessive  singular  of  nouns  is  formed  by 
adding  's  to  the  nominative  singular.  Example: 
Nominative,  "boy";  Possessive,  "boy's." 

"X.  The  possessive  plural  of  a  noun  is  formed  by 
adding  an  apostrophe  to  the  nominative  plu- 
ral. Example :  Nominative,  "boys";  Possessive, 
"boys'." 

3.  If  the  singular  ends  in  s,  the  preceding  rules  hold. 


THE   CORRECTION  OF   THEMES  39 

Thus  we  write:  "Burns's  poems";  "Dickens's 
novels." 

4.  Apostrophes  are  never  used  to  form  the  posses- 
sive case  of  pronouns. 

5.  The  possessive  plural  of  "man"  is.  "men's";  of 
"woman," "women's";  of  "child,"  "children's"; 
ot     ox,       oxen  s. 

T.  Tense 

1.  If  you  begin  a  story  in  the  present  tense,  use  the 
present  tense  throughout. 

2.  If  you  begin  with  the  past  tense,  use  the  past 
tense  throughout. 

U.  Unity 

1.  The  law  of  sentence  unity  requires  that  each 
sentence  should  contain  only  one  idea. 

2.  The  law  of  paragraph  unity  requires  that  each 
paragraph  should  contain  only  one  topic. 

3.  The  law  of  unity  also  requires  that  each  composi- 
tion have  only  one  subject. 

Compositions  are  like  houses.  Each  paragraph  is  a 
room.  If  the  laws  of  unity  are  observed,  the  effect  is 
agreeable;  it  is  like  that  produced  by  a  respectable 
home,  in  which  the  right  things  are  in  each  room.  If 
the  laws  of  unity  are  violated,  the  composition  be- 
comes as  unattractive  as  the  cabin  of  a  shiftless  family 
in  which  the  same  room  is  occupied  by  the  piano, 
the  trundle  bed,  the  washtub,  and  the  cooking-stove. 
A  lack  of  unity  ruins  the  effect  of  a  composition. 
Concentrate  your  effort  always  on  one  point.  Do  not 
divide  your  forces.  A  composition  without  unity  is  a 
mob;  with  unity,  an  army. 

V.  Vulgarity 

Never  use  a  word  that  is  not  modern,  national,  and 
reputable.  Otherwise  you  will  endanger  your  reputa- 


40  THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES 

tion  and  will  run  some  risk  of  being  misunderstood. 
Some  slang  phrases  are  clever;  so,  too,  are  some  jokes; 
but  both  slang  and  jokes  become  wearisome  after  one 
has  heard  them  repeatedly.  Somebody  has  denned 
slang  as  an  invention  of  the  Arch  Enemy  to  enable 
wretched  unideaed  persons  to  chatter.  Amuse  yourself 
by  translating  into  English,  if  you  can,  the  following 
weird  sentences: 

1.  The  Swede  was  dispert  because  the  gent  threw  him 
down. 

2.  He  sure  is  some  swimmer. 

3.  The  Georgia  peach  pulled  several  good  stunts. 

4.  The  easy  mark  was  up  against  the  real  thing. 

5.  When  it  comes  to  a  jolly,  you  are  there  with  the 
goods. 

6.  It  is  better  to  be  the  main  stem  in  Fostoria  than  to  cut 
no  ice  in  little  old  New  York. 

7.  The  scrappy  kid  thought  it  was  up  to  him. 

W.  Words 

I.  Never  use  a  word  unless  you  know  what  it  means. 
Consult  the  dictionary.  The  following  sentences  afford 
"horrible  examples"  of  the  results  of  carelessness  in 
this  particular: 

1.  Me  and  ma  has  been  in  Paris  so  long  you  might  call 
us  Parisites.  We  think  the  Apollo  Belladonna  and  the 
Dying  Gladiolus  just  lovely. 

2.  What  is  more  sympathetic  than  a  lost  baby? 

3.  The  gods  intercepted  in  their  favor. 

4.  The  orator's  perforation  was  grand. 

5.  Chiasmus  is  the  inversion  of  words  which  have  sub- 
sequently been  referred  to  in  the  preceding  word  or 
phrase. 

6.  He  went  abroad  to  study  moderate  languages. 

7.  Our  stock  is  full  paid  and  non-accessible. 

8.  We  are  studying  dismal  fractions. 

9.  The  Crusaders  fought  with  the  infielders. 
10.  The  Pope  lives  in  a  vacuum. 


THE   CORRECTION  OF  THEMES  41 

II.  "Very."   Use  this  word  sparingly. 

III.  Write  sentences  containing  each  of  the  follow- 
ing pairs  of  words: 

(a)  "Affect"  and  "effect." 

(b)  "Coherent"  and  "adherent." 

(c)  "In"  and  "into." 

(d)  "There"  and  "their." 
0)  "Two"  and  "couple." 
(/)  "Middle"  and  "center." 
(g)  "A"  and  "an." 

(h)  "Expose"  and  "exposition." 

IV.  Write  a  sentence  containing  "to,"  "too,"  and 
two. 

V.  The  definite  article  must  never  be  used  except 
under  the  following  conditions : 

1.  When  it  precedes  a  noun  that  refers  and  can  refer  to 
only  one  thing  or  person;  as,  for  example,  "the  definite 
article,"  "the  President,"  "the  White  House." 

2.  When  the  person  or  thing  to  which  it  refers  has  been 
defined  by  something  which  precedes. 

3.  When  the  noun  which  it  precedes  is  followed  by  a 
restrictive  phrase  or  clause. 

VI.  The  following  jokes  illustrate  the  fact  that  a 
nice  sense  of  the  value  of  words  may  bring  sweetness 
and  light  into  life: 

1.  "What  is  the  difference,"  asked  the  teacher,  "be- 
tween caution  and  cowardice?" 

Johnny,  who  observed  things  carefully  for  so  youth- 
ful a  person,  answered: 

"Caution  is  when  you're  afraid  and  cowardice  is 
when  the  other  fellow's  afraid."  —  Ladies'  Home 
Journal. 

2.  Rich  Papa  —  "You  foolish  girl,  that  English  noble- 
man who's  courting  you  really  does  n't  look  on  you  as 
his  equal." 

Wilful  Heiress  —  "I  don't  care  for  that,  papa,  as 
long  as  he's  my  peer."  —  Tit-Bits. 


42  THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES 

3.  He  —  "Can  you  suggest  a  title  for  my  new  book?  " 
She  — "What  is  it  about?" 

He  —  "England's  most  famous  battles." 
She  — "Ah!    Why  not  call  it  'Scraps  of  English 
History'?"  —  Tit-Bits. 

4.  Among  the  Monday  morning  culprits  haled  before  a 
Baltimore  police  magistrate  was  a  darky  with  no  visible 
means  of  support. 

"What  occupation  have  you  here  in  Baltimore?" 
asked  His  Honor. 

"Well,  jedge,"  said  the  darky,  "I  ain't  doin'  much 
at  present  —  jest  circulatin'  round,  suh." 

His  Honor  turned  to  the  clerk  of  the  court  and  said : 
"Please  enter  the  fact  that  this  gentleman  has  been 
retired  from  circulation  for  sixty  days."  —  Green  Bag. 

X.   The  Unknoivn  Quantity 

Often  it  is  best  for  pupils  to  discover  their  own  mis- 
takes. This  letter  means  that  you  have  made  an  error 
and  that  the  teacher  expects  you  to  find  it.  Turn  the 
X-ray  of  your  mind  on  the  line,  determine  what  is 
wrong,  and  make  the  necessary  corrections. 

Y.  Youth 

Modern  science  has  proved  that  the  habits  formed 
before  the  age  of  twenty -one  are  the  habits  that  last 
throughout  life.  After  that  age  the  gray  matter  of  the 
brain  becomes  set,  so  to  speak,  so  that  it  is  as  hard  to 
make  an  impression  on  it  as  it  is  to  make  a  dent  in  a 
block  of  solid  concrete.  The  moral  is  obvious.  Force 
yourself  to  be  industrious  now;  if  you  do  not,  you  can- 
not do  it  later.  If  you  do,  it  will  become  second  nature. 
Good  habits  are  as  easily  formed  as  are  bad  ones. 
Verburn  sapienti. 

Z.  Zero 

A  very  wise  man  once  loved  to  say:  "Let  us  proceed 
slowly  that  we  may  the  sooner  make  an  end."   The 


THE   CORRECTION   OF   THEMES  43 

Romans  had  a  good  maxim,  Festina  lente.  Haste 
makes  waste.  Hurry  is  the  mother  of  delay.  Do  your 
work  carefully.  Then  you  will  not  have  to  do  it  over.1 

1  Most  printing  offices  have  what  are  called  style  books  or  form 
sheets.  In  these  minute  directions  are  laid  down  for  the  instruction 
of  authors,  compositors,  and  proof-readers  on  such  matters  as  punc- 
tuation, capitalization,  the  use  of  abbreviations,  spelling,  etc.  It  is 
desirable  that  every  school  also  have  its  style  book  or  form  sheet. 
The  Handbook  of  Style  in  use  at  The  Riverside  Press,  which  may  be 
procured  for  50  cents  from  Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  is  an  admir- 
able one.  Frequently  the  editor  of  a  local  newspaper  is  glad  to  help 
a  school  by  furnishing  copies  of  his  form  sheet. 


CHAPTER  VII 

LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP  —  YOUR  DAY 

"The  gods  look  with  favor  on  superior  courage." 

I.  Problem 

Write  a  letter  describing  the  manner  in  which  you 
ordinarily  spend  each  day. 

II.  Model 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson  to  Sidney  Colvin  * 

608  Bush  St.,  San  Francisco, 
January  10,  1880. 
My  dear  Colvin: 

This  is  a  circular  letter  to  tell  my  estate  fully.  You  have 
no  right  to  it,  being  the  worst  of  correspondents,  but  I  wish 
to  efface  the  impression  of  my  last,  so  to  you  it  goes. 

Any  time  between  eight  and  half-past  nine  in  the  morning 
a  slender  gentleman  in  an  ulster,  with  a  volume  buttoned 
into  the  breast  of  it,  may  be  observed  leaving  No.  608  Bush 
and  descending  Powell  with  an  active  step.  The  gentleman 
is  R.  L.  S.;  the  volume  relates  to  Benjamin  Franklin,  on 
whom  he  meditates  one  of  his  charming  essays.  He  descends 
in  Sixth  on  a  branch  of  the  original  Pine  Street  Coffee  House, 
no  less;  I  believe  he  would  be  capable  of  going  to  the  original 
itself,  if  he  could  only  find  it.  In  the  branch  he  seats  himself 
at  a  table  covered  with  waxcloth,  and  a  pampered  menial,  of 
High  Dutch  extraction,  and,  indeed,  as  yet  only  partially 
extracted,  lays  before  him  a  roll,  a  pat  of  butter,  and  a  cup  of 
coffee,  all,  to  quote  the  deity,  very  good.  A  while  ago,  and 
R.  L.  S.  used  to  find  the  supply  of  butter  insufficient;  but  he 

1  From  Letters  and  Miscellanies  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson.  Se- 
lected and  edited  by  Sidney  Colvin,  vol.  i,  p.  108.  By  permission 
of  Charles  Scribner's  Sons. 


LETTERS   OF   FRIENDSHIP  45 

has  now  learned  the  art  to  exactitude,  and  butter  and  roll 
expire  at  the  same  moment.  For  this  refection,  he  pays  ten 
cents,  or  five  pence  sterling. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  inhabitants  of  Bush  Street  observe 
the  same  slender  gentleman  armed,  like  George  Washington, 
with  his  little  hatchet,  splitting  kindling,  and  breaking  coal 
for  his  fire.  He  does  this  quasi-publicly  upon  the  window-sill; 
but  this  is  not  to  be  attributed  to  any  love  of  notoriety, 
though  he  is  indeed  proud  of  his  prowess  with  the  hatchet 
(which  he  persists  in  calling  an  axe)  and  daily  surprised  at 
the  perpetuity  of  his  fingers.  The  reason  is  this:  that  the  sill 
is  a  strong  supporting  beam,  and  that  blows  of  the  same 
emphasis  in  other  parts  of  his  room  might  knock  the  entire 
shanty  into  hell.  Thenceforth,  for  from  three  to  four  hours, 
he  is  engaged  darkly  with  an  ink-bottle. 

His  next  appearance  is  at  the  restaurant  of  one  Donadieu 
in  Bush  Street,  between  Dupont  and  Kearney,  where  a  co- 
pious meal  may  be  procured  for  the  sum  of  four  bits,  alias  fifty 
cents,  i.e.,  2*.  2d.  sterling.  He  is  again  armed  with  a  book, 
but  his  best  friends  will  observe  with  pain  that  he  seems  at 
this  hour  to  have  deserted  the  more  serious  studies  of  the 
morning.  When  last  observed,  he  was  studying  with  appar- 
ent zest  the  exploits  of  one  Rocambole  by  the  late  Vicomte 
Ponson  du  Terrail. 

Then  the  being  walks;  where,  it  is  not  certain.  But  by 
about  half-past  four  a  light  beams  from  the  window  of  G08 
Bush,  and  he  may  be  observed  sometimes  engaged  in  corre- 
spondence, sometimes  again  plunged  in  the  mysterious  rites 
of  the  forenoon.  About  six  he  returns  to  the  Branch  Original, 
where  he  once  more  imbrues  himself  to  the  worth  of  fivepence 
in  coffee  and  roll.  The  evening  is  devoted  to  writing  and 
reading,  and,  by  eleven  or  half  past,  darkness  closes  over  this 
weird  and  truculent  existence. 

Ever  your 

R.  L.  S. 

III.  Suggested  Time  Schedule 

First  Week 

Monday  —  Dictation,  Notes,  and  Queries. 
Tuesday  — 


46  LETTERS   OF   FRIENDSHIP 

Wednesday  —  Dictation,  Notes,  and  Queries. 
Thursday  — 

Friday  —  Program. 

(a)  Biography  of  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 
(/;)  Treasure  Island. 

(c)  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde. 

(d)  Kidnapped. 

(e)  Recitation.    (One  of  Stevenson's  poems.) 
(/)  The  Wrecker. 

(g)  Critical  Essay.  (His  Place  in  Literature.) 
(h)        "  "      (His  Poems.) 

(/)        "  "      (His  Essays.) 

(j)  His  Farewell  Poem. 

Second  Week 
Monday 

Oral  Composition.     Letters  by  pupils  about  their 

own  days,  to  be  read  and  criticized. 
Tuesday 

(a)  Written  Composition.   Letters  read  on  Monday 
to  be  corrected  and  handed  to  the  teacher. 

(b)  Review  of  Proof-reading. 
Wednesday 

(a)  Compositions  returned. 

(b)  Discussion  of  mistakes. 

(c)  Oral  Composition. 
Thursday 

Prepared  recitation  on  mistakes. 
Friday 
Program  —  Reading  of  best  letters  and  recitation 
of  poems. 

IV.  Notes  and  Queries 

1.  Who  were  Stevenson  and  Colvin? 

2.  What  is  a  circular  letter? 


LETTERS   OF   FRIENDSHIP  47 

3.  Be  sure  that  you  understand  every  word. 

4.  Look  up  the  derivation  of  ulster. 

5.  What  is  the  subject  of  each  paragraph? 

6.  Point  out  the  "Four  W's"  of  each  paragraph. 

7.  Tell  whether  each  sentence  is  simple,  complex, 
or  compound. 

8.  Write  an  essay  of  one  hundred  words  on  Ben- 
jamin Franklin. 

9.  Observe  that  Stevenson  uses  concrete  terms. 
Instead  of  "breakfast,"  he  says  "coffee,  a  roll, 
and  a  pat  of  butter."  Which  expression  is  more 
vivid? 

V.  Memorize 

UNCONQUERED 

Out  of  the  night  that  covers  me, 
Black  as  the  Pit  from  pole  to  pole, 

I  thank  whatever  gods  may  be 
For  my  unconquerable  soul. 

In  the  fell  clutch  of  circumstance 
I  have  not  winced  nor  cried  aloud. 

Under  the  bludgeonings  of  chance 
My  head  is  bloody,  but  unbowed. 

Beyond  this  place  of  wrath  and  tears 
Looms  but  the  horror  of  the  shade, 

And  yet  the  menace  of  the  years 
Finds,  and  shall  find,  me  unafraid. 

It  matters  not  how  strait  the  gate, 

How  charged  with  punishments  the  scroll, 

I  am  the  master  of  my  fate: 
I  am  the  captain  of  my  soul. 

William  Ernest  Henley. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP  —  YOUR  YEAR 
"A  scholar  is  a  man  who  reads  Plato  with  his  feet  on  the  fender." 

I.  Problem 

Write  a  letter  to  a  friend  describing  the  manner  in 
which  you  have  spent  the  last  year. 

II.  Model 

Calcutta,  Nov.  30,  1836. 
Dear  Ellis: 

How  the  months  run  away!  Here  is  another  cold  season: 
morning  fogs,  cloth  coats,  green  pease,  new  potatoes,  and  all 
the  accompaniments  of  a  Bengal  winter.  As  to  my  private 
life,  it  has  glided  on,  since  I  wrote  to  you  last,  in  the  most 
peaceful  monotony.  If  it  were  not  for  the  books  which  I 
read,  and  for  the  mental  and  bodily  growth  of  my  dear  little 
niece,  I  should  have  no  mark  to  distinguish  one  part  of  the 
year  from  another.  Greek  and  Latin,  breakfast,  business,  an 
evening  walk  with  a  book,  a  drive  after  sunset,  dinner,  coffee, 
my  bed  —  there  you  have  the  history  of  a  day.  My  classical 
studies  go  on  vigorously.  I  have  read  Demosthenes  twice  — 
I  need  not  say  with  what  delight  and  admiration.  I  am  now 
deep  in  Isocrates,  and  from  him  I  shall  pass  to  Lysias.  I 
have  finished  Diodorus  Siculus  at  last,  after  dawdling  over 
him  at  odd  times  ever  since  last  March.  He  is  a  stupid,  cred- 
ulous, prosing  old  ass;  yet  I  heartily  wish  that  we  had  a  good 
deal  more  of  him.  I  have  read  Theocritus  again  and  like  him 
better  than  ever.  As  to  Latin,  I  made  a  heroic  attempt  on 
Pliny's  "Natural  History,"  but,  I  stuck  after  getting  through 
about  a  quarter  of  it.  I  have  read  Ammianus  Marcellinus, 
the  worst  written  book  in  ancient  Latin.  I  am  now  busy 
with  Quintilian  and  Lucan,  both  excellent  writers.  I  am  glad 


LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP  49 

that  you  have  so  much  business,  and  sorry  that  you  have  so 
little  leisure.   Remember  me  most  kindly  to  Mrs.  Ellis. 

Ever  yours  affectionately, 

T.  B.  Macaulay. 
III.  Time  Schedule 

Monday  —  Organization 

1.  Make  an  outline  of  this  letter  showing:  (a)  how  it 
should  be  divided  into  paragraphs;  (6)  the  subject 
of  each  paragraph;  (c)  the  subject  of  the  whole 
letter. 

2.  Where  is  Calcutta? 

3.  Who  was  Macaulay? 

4.  Name  five  Greek  and  four  Latin  authors  not 
mentioned  in  this  letter. 

5.  Point  out  in  Macaulay 's  letter  an  example  of 
antithesis. 

6.  Point  out  one  simple,  one  compound,  and  one 
complex  sentence. 

7.  Go  without  your  book  to  the  blackboard  and 
write  from  dictation  the  model  or  such  portions 
of  it  as  your  teacher  may  select.1 

Tuesday  —  Oral  Composition 

Three-minute  speeches  on  the  following  topics: 

1.  The  "Four  W's"  in  the  Model. 

2.  Calcutta. 

3.  Macaulay  in  India. 

4.  Demosthenes. 

5.  Lysias. 

6.  Theocritus. 

7.  Pliny. 

8.  Quintilian. 

9.  Lucan. 

1  The  following  plan  interests  pupils  and  at  the  same  time  affords 
qn  invaluable  exercise  in  spelling,  punctuation,  handwriting,  inden- 
tion, and  margins:  (1)  Divide  the  class  into  rival  factions.  (2)  Have 
them  correct  and  mark  each  other's  work  by  means  of  the  proof- 
readers' signs  and  the  "A-Z  Method."  (3)  Deduct  a  fixed  amount 
from  his  own  mark  for  each  mistake  not  discovered  by  the  marker. 


50  LETTERS  OF  FRIENDSHIP 

10.  The  Reading  Habit. 

11.  The  Five  Best  Books. 

12.  The  Ten  Best  Books. 

Wednesday  —  Oral  Composition 

Plan  a  letter  describing  your  life  for  the  last  year 
in  general,  and  in  particular  discussing  the  books  you 
have  read  during  that  time.  Include  the  following 
topics,  allotting  a  paragraph  to  each:  (1)  General 
News;  (2)  My  Chief  Interest;  (3)  Your  Correspondent 
and  his  Family.  Be  prepared  to  give  this  orally  to  the 
class,  just  as  a  business  man  dictates  a  letter  to  his 
stenographer. 

Thursday  —  Written  Composition 

In  class,  under  your  teacher's  eye,  write  your  letter. 

Friday  —  Public  Speaking 

Program  to  be  arranged  by  the  officers  of  the  club 
with  the  advice  and  aid  of  the  teacher. 

rV.  Memorize 

OPPORTUNITY 

This  I  beheld,  or  dreamed  it  in  a  dream :  — 

There  spread  a  cloud  of  dust  along  a  plain; 

And  underneath  the  cloud,  or  in  it,  raged 

A  furious  battle,  and  men  yelled,  and  swords 

Shocked  upon  swords  and  shields.   A  prince's  banner 

Wavered,  then  staggered  back,  hemmed  in  by  foes. 

A  craven  hung  along  the  battle's  edge, 

And  thought,  "Had  I  a  sword  of  keener  steel  — 

That  blue  blade  that  the  king's  son  bears,  —  but  this 

Blunt  thing  — !"  he  snapt  and  flung  it  from  his  hand, 

And  lowering  crept  away  and  left  the  field. 

Then  came  the  king's  son,  wounded,  sore  bestead, 

And  weaponless,  and  saw  the  broken  sword, 

Hilt-buried  in  the  dry  and  trodden  sand, 

And  ran  and  snatched  it,  and  with  battle-shout 

Lifted  afresh  he  hewed  his  enemy  down, 

And  saved  a  great  cause  that  heroic  day. 

Edward  Rowland  Sill. 


CHAPTER  IX 

LETTERS  OF  INVITATION 

"A  friend  is  one  soul  abiding  in  two  bodies." 

I.  Problem 

Write  to  your  best  friend  a  letter  of  invitation  to 
visit  you.  Make  it  so  persuasive  that  he  (or  she) 
cannot  resist. 

II.  Model 

Madeira  Hall,  Ventnor, 
September  3,  1850. 
Dear  Ellis: 

Here  I  am,  lodged  most  delightfully.  I  look  out  on  one 
side  to  the  crags  and  myrtles  of  the  undercliff,  against  which 
my  house  is  built.  On  the  other  side  I  have  a  view  of  the 
sea,  which  is  at  this  moment  as  blue  as  the  sky  and  as  calm  as 
the  Serpentine.  My  little  garden  is  charming. 

Will  you  come?  Take  your  own  time,  but  I  am  rather 
anxious  that  you  should  not  lose  this  delicious  weather  and 
defer  your  trip  till  the  equinoctial  storms  are  setting  in.  I 
can  promise  you  plenty  of  water  and  of  towels;  good  tea; 
good  cheese  from  town;  good  eggs,  butter,  and  milk  from  the 
farm  at  my  door;  a  beautiful  prospect  from  your  bedroom 
window;  and,  if  the  weather  keeps  us  within  doors,  Plautus's 
Comedies,  Plutarch's  Lives,  twenty  or  thirty  comedies  of 
Calderon,  Fra  Paolo's  History,  and  a  little  library  of 
novels. 

I  am  just  returned  from  a  walk  of  near  seven  hours  and  of 
full  fifteen  miles,  part  of  it  as  steep  as  the  Monument.  In- 
deed I  was  so  knocked  out  with  climbing  Black  Gang  Chine 
that  I  lay  on  the  turf  at  the  top  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

Ever  yours, 

T.  B.  Macaulay. 


52  LETTERS  OF  INVITATION 

III.  Notes 

1.  Ventnor.  A  famous  resort  on  the  south  coast  of 
the  Isle  of  Wight. 

2.  Ellis.  Thomas  Flower  Ellis,  "that  one  friend  who 
had  a  share  in  the  familiar  confidence  which 
Macaulay  otherwise  reserved  for  his  nearest  rela- 
tives." He  was  an  acute  and  industrious  lawyer. 
They  had  in  common  an  insatiable  love  of  the 
classics. 

3.  The  Serpentine.   A  pond  in  Hyde  Park,  London. 

4.  The  Monument.  A  fluted  column,  202  feet  high, 
erected  1671-77  in  London  to  commemorate  the 
Great  Fire  of  1666.  It  is  ascended  by  a  winding 
staircase  of  845  steps. 

5.  Black  Gang  Chine.  A  ravine,  through  which  a 
path,  partly  cut  into  steps,  descends.  The  rocks 
here  are  400  feet  high. 

TV.  Time  Schedule 

Monday  —  Study  of  Model 
Part  I.   Queries 

1.  What  do  you  know  about  Macaulay? 

2.  About  the  Isle  of  Wight? 

3.  What  is  the  subject  of  this  letter? 

4.  What  is  its  purpose? 

5.  What  is  the  subject  of  each  paragraph? 

6.  (a)  Does  Macaulay  use  short  or  long  words? 

(b)  Does   he   write   about   anything   that   Ellis 
would  not  understand? 

7.  Point  out  an  example  of  antithesis. 

8.  Point  out  one  simple,  one  complex,  and  one  com- 
pound sentence. 

9.  On  what  principle  does  Macaulay  use  semicolons 
after  "towels,"  "tea,"  "town,"  etc.? 

10.  How  far  is  Black  Gang  Chine  from  Ventnor? 


LETTERS  OF  INVITATION  53 

Part  II.   Dictation  as  in  Chapter  vni. 

Tuesday  —  Oral  Composition 

Find  a  better  invitation  than  Macaulay's,  copy  it 
into  your  notebook,  bring  it  to  class,  and  be  ready  to 
write  it  on  the  blackboard  and  explain  why  you  think 
it  is  better.  Perhaps  your  teacher  can  tell  you  where  to 
find  a  better  invitation.  If  not,  what  do  you  think  of 
this: 

TO  THE   REVEREND   F.   D.   MAURICE 

Come,  when  no  graver  cares  employ, 
Godfather,  come  and  see  your  boy; 

Your  presence  will  be  sun  in  winter, 
Making  the  little  one  leap  for  joy. 

Should  all  our  churchmen  foam  in  spite 
At  you,  so  careful  of  the  right, 

Yet  one  lay-hearth  would  give  you  welcome. 
Take  it,  and  come  to  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

Where,  far  from  noise  and  smoke  of  town, 
I  watch  the  sunset  falling  brown 

All  round  a  careless  order'd  garden 
Close  to  the  ridge  of  a  noble  down. 

You  '11  have  no  scandal  while  you  dine, 
But  honest  talk  and  wholesome  wine, 

And  only  hear  the  magpie  gossip 
Garrulous  under  a  roof  of  pine; 

For  groves  of  pine  on  either  hand. 
To  break  the  blasts  of  winter,  stand; 
And  further  on  the  hoary  Channel 
Tumbles  a  billow  on  chalk  and  sand, 

Where,  if  below  the  milky  steep 
Some  ship  of  battle  slowly  creep, 

And  on  through  zones  of  light  and  shadow 
Glimmer  away  to  the  lonely  deep, 


54  LETTERS  OF  INVITATION 

We  might  discuss  the  Northern  sin 
Which  made  a  selfish  war  begin, 

Dispute  the  claims,  arrange  the  chances, 
Emperor,  Ottoman,  which  shall  win; 

Or  whether  war's  avenging  rod 
Shall  lash  all  Europe  into  blood; 

Till  you  should  turn  to  dearer  matters, 
Dear  to  the  man  who  is  dear  to  God; 

How  best  to  help  the  slender  store, 
How  mend  the  dwellings  of  the  poor; 

How  gain  in  life,  as  life  advances, 
Valor  and  charity  more  and  more. 

Come,  Maurice,  come;  the  lawn  as  yet 
Is  hoar  with  rime,  or  spongy  wet; 

But  when  the  wreath  of  March  has  blossom'd 
Crocus,  anemone,  violet, 

Or  later,  pay  one  visit  here, 

For  those  are  few  we  hold  as  dear; 

Not  pay  but  one,  but  come  for  many, 
Many  and  many  a  happy  year. 

Alfred,  Lord  Tennyson. 

Wednesday  —  Oral  and  Written  Composition 
Prepare  in  writing  an  invitation  to  a  friend.    Be 
ready  either  to  read  it  to  the  class  or  write  it  on  the 
blackboard.    In  either  case  you   must   be  ready  to 
defend  your  work. 

Observe  that  Macaulay's  letter  includes  the  follow- 
ing topics  in  the  following  order:  The  "Four  W's,"  his 
lodging,  the  environment,  the  weather,  water,  towels, 
food,  views,  books,  a  way  of  spending  the  time.  Make 
a  similar  list  of  Tennyson's  topics.  Which  is  the  more 
complete  list?  Which  is  in  the  better  order?  This  exer- 
cise will  help  you  to  decide  what  to  say  in  your  invi- 


LETTERS  OF  INVITATION  55 

tation.    By  the  way,  what  topic  does  Tennyson  omit 
which  Macaulay  discusses? 
Thursday  —  Revision 

1.  Rewrite  your  letter  in  the  light  of  Wednesday's 
discussion,  and  hand  it  for  proof-reading  to  your 
teacher. 

2.  Review  the  chapter  on  proof-reading. 
Friday  —  Public  Speaking 


CHAPTER  X 

ORDER   LETTERS 

"Order  is  heaven's  first  law." 

I.  Problem 

Write  an  order  letter;  that  is,  a  letter  ordering  a  bill 
of  goods  from  a  merchant  or  manufacturer.  This  exer- 
cise is  practical,  for  everybody,  from  the  housekeeper 
who  deals  with  the  grocer,  the  baker,  and  the  candle- 
stick-maker down  to  the  captain  of  industry  who  em- 
ploys twenty  thousand  men,  has  frequent  occasion  to 
write  such  letters. 

II.  Model 

Emerson  High  School, 
Concord,  Illinois. 

August  7,  1914. 

Concord  Book  Exchange, 
1809  Jackson  Ave., 
Concord,  111. 
Dear  Sirs: 

During  the  semester  beginning  September  14,  1914,  the 
pupils  of  this  school  will  probably  buy  books  in  the  quanti- 
ties shown  below: 


TITLES 

Elomentary  Algebra 

New  Commercial  Arithmetic 

P.jokkeeping 

New  High  School  Botany 

Essentials  of  Chemistry 

( !hemistry-Laboratory  Manual 

Elements  of  English  Grammar 

Elementary  Composition 

David  Copperfield 

Homer's  Odyssey 

Ivanhoe 


AUTHORS 

PUBLISHERS 

NO. 

Young  and  Jackson 

Appleton 

200 

Moore 

A.  B.  C. 

50 

Miner 

Gjnn 

150 

Atkinson 

Holt 

25 

Hessler  and  Smith 

Sanborn 

15 

Morse  and  Irwin 

Appleton 

50 

Webster 

Houghton  Mifflin 

125 

Webster 

Houghton  Mifflin 

200 

Dickens 

Rand-McNally 

125 

Palmer's  translation 

Houghton  Mifflin 

200 

Scott 

Houghton  Mifflin 

75 

ORDER  LETTERS 


57 


Lady  of  the  Lake 

Scott 

Houghton  Mifflin 

75 

As  You  Like  It 

Shakespeare 

Houghton  Mifflin 

75 

Silas  Marner 

Eliot 

Houghton  Mifflin 

15 

Speeches 

Lincoln 

Scott  Foresman 

15 

Life  of  Johnson 

Macaulay 

Houghton  Mifflin 

15 

Macbeth 

Shakespeare 

Newson 

15 

First  French  Book 

Newson 

Newson 

25 

Second  French  Book 

Newson 

Newson 

20 

Le  Comte  de  Monte  Cristo 

Dumas 

Heath 

5 

Physical  Geography 

Davis 

Ginn 

40 

Plane  and  Solid  Geometry 

Sanders 

A.  B.  C. 

40 

Elements  of  German 

Becker-Rhoades 

Scott  Foresman 

60 

Glueck  Auf 

Mueller-Wenckebach 

Ginn 

60 

Greek  Primer 

Gleason 

A.  B.  C. 

10 

Ancient  History 

Morey 

A.  B.  C. 

120 

Mediaeval  and  Modern  Europe 

Davis 

Houghton  Mifflin 

20 

History  of  the  United  States 

Thwaites  and  Kendall 

Houghton  Mifflin 

20 

Latin  for  Beginners 

D'Ooge 

Ginn 

100 

First  Latin  Reader 

Nutting 

A.  B.  C. 

40 

Latin  Grammar 

Bennett 

Allyn  and  Bacon 

50 

Cicero 

Bishop 

A.  B.  C. 

10 

Amanuensis  Phonography 

Graham 

Graham  and  Co. 

60 

Physiology 

Colton 

Heath 

20 

Please  inform  me  as  soon  as  possible  at  what  price  you  will 
sell  each  of  these  books  at  retail  to  individual  pupils,  and  at 
what  price  you  will  sell  the  number  specified  to  me  at  whole- 
sale. 

Yours  truly, 

Roger  Ascham,  Principal. 

III.  Notes  and  Queries 

1.  Tell  the  reason  for  each  mark  of  punctuation  in 
this  letter. 

2.  Explain  the  syntax  of  "please,"  "inform,"  "as 
soon  as  possible,"  "and,"  and  "at  what  price." 

3.  Define  the  following  words  and  explain  their 
etymology:  September,  semester,  algebra,  arith- 
metic, botany,  chemistry,  laboratory,  manual, 
composition,  physical  geography,  geometry, 
primer,  phonography,  physiology. 

4.  On  what  principle  is  the  list  of  books  arranged? 

5.  In  writing  a  letter  such  as  this,  about  what  point 
is  it  necessary  to  be  most  careful? 

6.  How  many  misspelled  words,  misplaced  capitals. 


58  ORDER   LETTERS 

and  errors  in  punctuation  is  a  stenographer 
allowed  to  make  in  each  letter? 
7.  Consult  Dwyer's  The  Business  Letter,  published 
by  Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  for  complete  and 
invaluable  assistance  in  composing  business  let- 
ters of  every  sort. 

IV.  Review 

1.  Explain  what  is  wrong  about  each  of  the  follow- 
ing sentences,  and  rewrite  it  in  such  a  way  as  to 
eliminate  the  error: 

(a)  Detroit  is  larger  than  any  city  in  Michigan. 

(b)  Each  one  washed  their  face. 

2.  Why  do  we  capitalize  this  sentence  thus:  "The 
Detroit  Central  High  School  is  the  largest  high 
school  in  Michigan?" 

3.  (a)  When  is  it  proper  to  use  a  semicolon  in  a 

simple  sentence?    In  a  complex  sentence?  In 
a  compound  sentence? 

(b)  When  is  it  proper  to  use  two  commas  between 
the  subject  and  the  verb?  Between  the  verb 
and  the  object?   Why? 

(c)  When  is  it  proper  to  use  one  comma  between 
the  subject  and  the  verb?  Between  the  verb 
and  the  object?   Why? 

4.  Use  each  of  the  following  pairs  of  words  together 
in  a  sentence: 

(a)  In  and  into. 

(b)  There  and  their. 

(c)  Two  and  couple. 

(d)  Middle  and  center. 

5.  Write  a  sentence  containing  "to,"  "too,"  and 
"two." 


ORDER  LETTERS  59 

V.  Spelling  Contest 

For  material  use  the  words  that,  up  to  date,  have 
been  misspelled  in  the  class. 

VI.  Composition 

Order  for  the  school  an  invoice  of  goods  covering  one 
of  the  following  items : 

(a)  The  twenty-five  volumes  most  needed  in  the  library. 

(b)  The  equipment  needed  for  the  football,  basketball,  or 
baseball  team  for  a  season. 

(c)  Supplies  to  last  the  domestic  science  department  one 
week. 

(d)  Two  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  equipment  for  the  phys- 
ical geography  laboratory. 

(e)  Two  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  pictures  for  the  school. 
(/)  Fifty  dollars'  worth  of  lantern  slides  for  the  history 

department. 

(g)  Fifty  dollars'  worth  of  books  for  the  Latin,  French,  or 
German  department. 

(h)  Fifty  dollars'  worth  of  maps  for  the  history  depart- 
ment. 

(i)  Two  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  equipment  for  the 
gymnasium. 

In  order  to  do  this  intelligently  and  accurately,  you 
will  need  to  do  some  careful  thinking,  to  consult  vari- 
ous catalogues,  to  arrange  your  list  on  some  definite 
plan,  and  to  say  in  your  letter  exactly  what  you  mean. 
Above  all,  you  will  find  it  advantageous  to  consult 
your  teacher  of  science,  history,  drawing,  cooking,  or 
gymnastics,  as  your  choice  of  subject  may  require. 

VII.  Oral  Discussion 

A  discussion  in  class  of  the  items  included  in  these 
lists  will  be  useful,  the  question  always  being:  "Would 
it  not  be  better  to  omit  this  article  and  substitute 
another?" 


60  ORDER   LETTERS 

VIII.  Suggested  Time  Schedule 

Monday  may  be  devoted  to  the  gathering  of  ma- 
terial; Tuesday,  to  its  arrangement;  Wednesday,  to 
oral  discussion;  Thursday,  to  writing,  preferably  in 
class  under  the  teacher's  eye;  Friday,  to  the  oral  pres- 
entation of  lessons  in  other  subjects  or  to  reports  on 
home  reading. 

IX.  Memorize 

THE  FLAG  GOES  BY 

Hats  off! 

Along  the  street  there  comes 

A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums, 

A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky: 

Hats  off! 

The  flag  is  passing  by! 

Blue  and  crimson  and  white  it  shines, 

Over  the  steel-tipped,  ordered  lines. 

Hats  off! 

The  colors  before  us  fly; 

But  more  than  the  flag  is  passing  by. 

» 

Sea-fights  and  land-fights,  grim  and  great, 
Fought  to  make  and  to  save  the  State: 
Weary  marches  and  sinking  ships; 
Cheers  of  victory  on  dying  lips; 

Days  of  plenty  and  years  of  peace; 
March  of  a  strong  land's  swift  increase; 
Equal  justice,  right,  and  law, 
Stately  honor  and  reverend  awe; 

Sign  of  a  nation,  great  and  strong 
To  ward  her  people  from  foreign  wrong: 
Pride  and  glory  and  honor,  —  all 
Live  in  the  colors  to  stand  or  fall. 


ORDER  LETTERS  61 

Hats  off! 

Along  the  street  there  comes 

A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums; 

And  loyal  hearts  are  beating  high: 

Hats  off! 

The  flag  is  passing  by! 

Henry  Holcomb  Bennett. 


CHAPTER  XI 

LETTERS    OF   APPLICATION 
"Keep  the  golden  mean  between  saying  too  much  and  too  little." 

I.  Problem 

Write  a  letter  applying  for  a  position. 

II.  In  Explanation 

The  first  business  letter  written  by  most  young  men 
is  a  letter  of  application  for  a  position.  To  be  success- 
ful, it  must  get  the  position.  In  order  to  get  the  posi- 
tion, it  must  be  better  than  the  letter  of  any  other 
applicant. 

The  composition  of  such  letters  therefore  requires 
extreme  care.  A  mistake  in  spelling,  punctuation,  capi- 
talization, form,  or  grammar  is  usually  fatal  to  the 
writer's  chances.  The  quality  of  the  stationery  is  im- 
portant. The  character  of  the  handwriting  is  still 
more  so;  if  you  write  carelessly,  you  write  for  the 
wastebasket. 

Care  in  these  technical  matters  is  not,  however,  all 
that  is  required.  The  contents  must  be  concise,  clear, 
correct,  and  courteous.  Tell  all  the  essential  facts,  but 
only  the  essential  facts.  The  essential  facts  are  those 
which  concern  your  fitness  for  the  position  sought. 
Avoid  joking,  frivolity,  and  slang  —  if  you  really  want 
your  application  considered. 

The  man  who  employs  help  wishes  to  know  two 
things:  (1)  Is  the  applicant  reliable?   (2)  Is  the  appli- 


LETTERS  OF   APPLICATION  63 

cant  intelligent?  He  can  satisfy  himself  on  these  points 
by  referring  to  people  who  know  the  applicant  or  by  a 
close  scrutiny  of  his  letter.  The  latter  is  really  a  safer 
guide  than  the  former,  because,  as  Buffon  said  long 
ago,  "the  style  is  the  man."  In  other  words,  your  let- 
ter is  sure  to  reveal  to  your  prospective  employer  your 
real  character.  Therefore,  before  you  can  write  a  sat- 
isfactory letter  of  application,  you  must  be  honest, 
industrious,  dignified,  exact,  serious,  and  alert. 

IH.  Model 

511  Tremont  St.,  Boston,  Mass., 
September  24,  1910. 
Mr.  Peter  Faneuil, 
4  Park  Street, 

Boston,  Mass. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  wish  to  apply  for  the  position  referred  to  in  the  enclosed 
advertisement  cut  from  the  Transcript  of  Saturday,  Septem- 
ber 23.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  grant  me  an  interview?  I 
can  give  good  references. 

Yours  truly, 

Henry  Bessemer. 
IV.  Notes 

1.  Observe  the  simplicity  and  directness  of  the  style. 
It  is  natural.  The  English  used  is  of  the  same 
quality  as  that  employed  by  Macaulay,  Steven- 
son, and  all  other  educated  people.  It  is  to  be 
noted,  in  this  connection,  that  there  are  only  two 
kinds  of  English,  good  English  and  bad  English. 
Business  English  is  nothing  but  good  English 
used  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

2.  A  letter  of  application  should  contain:  first,  a 
clear  statement  of  the  reason  why  it  is  written, 
such  as  is  found  in  the  first  sentence  of  the  model ; 
and,  second,  either  a  statemeii&«f  ;the  reasons 


64  LETTERS   OF  APPLICATION 

why  the  applicant  is  fitted  to  fill  the  position 
desired,  or,  as  in  the  model,  a  statement  of  where 
and  how  this  information  may  be  secured. 

V.  Queries 

1.  What  is  the  real  test  of  the  merit  of  a  letter  of 
application? 

2.  .What  degree  of  correctness  is  satisfactory  in  the 
case  of  such  a  letter? 

3.  What  seven  matters  of  technique  are  important 
in  its  composition? 

4.  What  is  chirography? 

5.  What  are  the  "Four  C's"? 

6.  What  facts  should  such  a  letter  contain? 

7.  Discuss  the  tone  of  such  letters. 

8.  What  does  a  prospective  employer  wish  to  know 
about  an  applicant? 

9.  In  what  ways  can  he  learn? 

10.  Discuss  the  saying,  "The  style  is  the  man." 

11.  How  many  kinds  of  English  are  there? 

12.  What  is  business  English? 

13.  What  two  parts  should  a  letter  of  application 
contain? 

VI.  Composition 

Write  a  letter  applying  for  one  of  the  positions 
advertised  in  a  current  newspaper,  or  for  some  other 
real  position.  All  the  members  of  the  class  may  write 
applications  for  the  same  position,  if  the  teacher  de- 
sires to  start  a  contest  to  determine  who  ought  to  get 
the  position.  Perhaps  the  applications  will  be  written 
on  the  blackboard,  so  that  the  class  may  impersonate 
a  board  of  directors  met  to  pick  the  successful  appli- 
cant. 


LETTERS   OF   APPLICATION  65 

VII.  Memorize 

RECESSIONAL 

God  of  our  fathers,  known  of  old, 
Lord  of  our  far-flung  battle  line  — 
Beneath  whose  awful  hand  we  hold 
Dominion  over  palm  and  pine  — 
Lord  God  of  Hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget  —  lest  we  forget ! 

The  tumult  and  the  shouting  dies  — 
The  Captains  and  the  Kings  depart  — 
Still  stands  Thine  ancient  sacrifice, 
An  humble  and  a  contrite  heart. 
Lord  God  of  Hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget  —  lest  we  forget ! 

Far-called  our  navies  melt  away  — 
On  dune  and  headland  sinks  the  fire  — 
Lo,  all  our  pomp  of  yesterday 
Is  one  with  Nineveh  and  Tyre! 
Judge  of  the  Nations,  spare  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget  —  lest  we  forget! 

If,  drunk  with  sight  of  power,  we  loose 
Wild  tongues  that  have  not  Thee  in  aw;  — 
Such  boastings  as  the  Gentiles  use, 
Or  lesser  breeds  without  the  Law  — 
Lord  God  of  Hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget  —  lest  we  forget! 

For  heathen  heart  that  puts  her  trust 
In  reeking  tube  and  iron  shard  — 
All  valiant  dust  that  builds  on  dust, 
And  guarding  calls  not  Thee  to  guard, 
For  frantic  boast  and  foolish  word, 
Thy  Mercy  on  Thy  People,  Lord ! 

Rudyard  Kipling, 


CHAPTER  XII 

VADE  MECUM  OR  CATECHISM 
"A  lamp  unto  my  feet  and  a  light  unto  my  path." 

I.  Introduction 

A  letter-perfect  knowledge  of  this  catechism  is  a 
prerequisite  for  entrance  to  high  school,  for  promotion 
from  any  course  in  high  school,  for  graduation  from 
high  school,  for  entrance  to  college,  and  for  graduation 
from  college.  Nobody  but  millionaires  and  college 
professors  can  afford  to  be  ignorant  of  it.  It  should 
be  reviewed  frequently  and  vigorously.  It  might  be 
learned  and  retained  by  being  used  at  roll  call.  Course 
Two  pupils  might  be  sent  to  Course  One  classes  to 
examine  the  pupils  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  if 
they  are  qualified  to  enter  Course  Two,  and  so  on  up. 

II.  Catechism 

Question  1.  What  is  the  fundamental  law  of  capitalization? 

Answer.        Proper  names  shall  be  capitalized. 

Q.    2.  What  is  a  simple  sentence? 

A.         A  simple  sentence  is  a  sentence  which  contains  only 

one  subject  and  one  predicate,  either  or  both  of 

which  may  be  compound. 
Q.    3.  What  is  a  complex  sentence? 
A.         A  sentence  containing  a  principal  clause  and  one  or 

more  subordinate  clauses. 
Q.    4.  What  is  a  compound  sentence? 
A.         A  sentence  consisting  of  several  independent  and 

coordinate  sentences  joined  together. 
Q.    5.  What  does  "subordinate"  mean? 


VADE   MECUM  OR  CATECHISM  67 

A.  "Subordinate"  (L.  sub  =  "under,"  plus  ordo  = 
"class,"  "rank,"  or  "order")  means  "of  a  lower 
rank." 

Q.    6.  What  does  "coordinate"  mean? 

A.  "Coordinate"  (L.  co  =  "equal,"  plus  ordo)  means 
"of  equal  rank." 

Q.  7.  What  is  the  fundamental  law  of  punctuation?  (See 
page  3-t.) 

A.  The  fundamental  law  of  punctuation  is  that  words, 
phrases,  and  clauses  which  are  logically  disjoined 
shall  be  set  off  by  marks  of  punctuation. 

Q.  8.  What  is  the  first  corollary  of  the  fundamental  law 
of  punctuation? 

A.  From  the  fundamental  law  is  derived  the  law  of 
isolating  parenthetical  expressions.  This  provides 
that  vocatives,  explanatory  expressions,  and  non- 
restrictive  clauses  should  be  set  off  by  commas. 

Q.  9.  What  is  the  second  corollary  of  the  fundamental 
law  of  punctuation? 

A.  The  need  of  having  large  marks  to  distinguish  large 
breaks  in  syntax  from  small  results  in  the  law  of 
gradation,  which  requires  that  we  shall  use  a  period 
at  the  end  of  a  sentence  and  a  semicolon  at  the  end 
of  a  main  clause  in  a  compound  sentence. 

Q.  10.  What  is  the  third  corollary  of  the  fundamental  law 
of  punctuation? 

A.  The  fundamental  law  conversely  requires  that  we 
shall  not  separate  expressions  that  are  closely 
united  by  the  bonds  of  logic  or  grammar.  Hence  it 
follows  that  there  must  be  no  comma  between  a 
restrictive  clause  and  its  antecedent,  between  a 
subject  and  its  verb,  or  between  a  verb  and  its 
object.  There  may,  however,  be  two  commas, 
when  they  are  required  by  the  law  of  isolating 
parenthetical  expressions. 

Q.  11.  What  is  a  loose  sentence? 

A.  A  loose  sentence  is  a  sentence  so  constructed  that  it 
might  end  before  it  does  and  still  be  a  complete  and 
perfect  sentence. 

Q.  12.  What  is  a  periodic  sentence? 

A.         A  periodic  sentence  is  a  sentence  so  constructed 


8  VADE   MECITM   OR   CATECHISM 

that,  if  the  last  word  be  omitted,  it  is  no  longer  a 
sentence. 
Q.  13.  What  is  a  balanced  sentence? 

A.         A  balanced  sentence  is  a  compound  sentence  with 

two  main  clauses  so  constructed  that  each  word  in 

the  first  clause  is  balanced  by  a  word  in  the  second. 

Q.  14.  When  is  it  proper  to  use  a  semicolon  in  a  simple  or 

complex  sentence? 
A.         Never.   If  they  are  required  by  the  law  of  grada- 
tion, the  sentence  is  ill-constructed  and  should  be 
rewritten. 
Q.  15.  In  a  compound  sentence? 

A.         Between  the  main  clauses  when  these  are  not  con- 
nected by  a  coordinate  conjunction. 
Q.  16.  When  is  a  compound  sentence  periodic? 
A.         Never,  except  when  it  contains  correlatives. 
Q.  17.  When  is  it  proper  to  use  one  comma  between  the 

subject  and  verb? 
A.         Never. 

Q.  18.  Between  the  verb  and  object? 
A.         Never. 
Q.  19.  Why? 

A.         Because  of  Corollary  3  of  the  fundamental  law  of 

punctuation,  which  requires  that  words  which  are 

grammatically  united  shall  not  be  separated  by 

marks  of  punctuation. 

Q.  20.  When  is  it  proper  to  use  two  commas  between  the 

subject  and  verb,  or  verb  and  object? 
A.         When  a  parenthetical  expression  intervenes. 
Q.  21.  State  the  rule  for  the  agreement  of  subject  and 

verb. 
A.         The  subject  and  verb  should  agree  in  number  and 

person. 
Q.  22.  What  do  adverbs  modify? 
A.         Verbs,  adjectives,  and  other  adverbs. 
Q.  23.  What  caution  must  be  exercised  in  the  use  of  the 

definite  article? 
A.         It  must  never  be  used  unless  the  object  to  which 
its  noun  refers  has  been  identified  by  previous 
discussion,  is  followed  by  a  restrictive  phrase  or 
clause,  or  is  the  only  object  of  its  kind  in  existence. 


A 

24 

Q- 

A 

25 

si . 

26 

VADE   MECUM   OR   CATECHISM  69 

What  caution  must  be  exercised  in  the  use  of  coor- 
dinate conjunctions? 

They  should  always  connect  words,  phrases,  or 
clauses  of  the  same  class. 

What  is  the  rule  for  punctuating  words  in  a  series? 
Do  it  thus:  "Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry." 
What  is  the  rule  for  punctuating  two  or  more  ad- 
jectives preceding  the  same  noun? 

A.  If  they  are  of  the  same  class,  separate  them  by  com- 
mas; if  of  different  classes,  do  not  separate  them. 
"Never  burden  one  noun  with  more  than  one 
adjective"  is  a  still  better  rule. 

Q.  27.  What  is  a  restrictive  clause? 

A.  A  restrictive  clause  is  a  clause  that  narrows,  limits, 
lessens,  or  restricts  the  number  of  objects  to  which 
its  antecedent  can  refer. 

Q.  28.  How  may  a  restrictive  clause  be  recognized? 

A.  By  the  fact  that,  if  omitted,  its  absence  will  reduce 
the  sentence  to  nonsense. 

Q.  29.  Why  should  a  restrictive  clause  not  be  set  off  by  a 
comma? 

A.  Because  of  Corollary  3  of  the  fundamental  law  of 
punctuation,  which  requires  that  words  which  are 
grammatically  united  shall  not  be  separated  by 
marks  of  punctuation. 

Q.  30.  What  is  a  dangling  participle? 

A.  A  dangling  participle  is  a  participle  that,  agreeing 
with  nothing,  so  to  speak,  dangles  in  the  air. 

Q.  31.  What  is  a  cleft  or  split  infinitive? 

A.  A  cleft  infinitive  is  an  infinitive  in  which  the  "to" 
has  been  separated  by  a  word  or  words  from  the 
verb. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

KINDS    OF    COMPOSITION 
"  Read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly  digest.  ' 

I.  Introduction 

Description,  narration,  exposition,  and  argumen- 
tation are  the  four  kinds  of  composition.  You  have 
already  used  all  of  them  in  the  exercises  which  precede 
this  chapter.  For  the  purpose  of  understanding  them 
more  thoroughly,  we  shall  now  study  each  of  them  by 
itself. 

Description  is  based  on  the  five  senses.  Anything 
that  you  can  see,  hear,  feel,  smell,  or  taste  can  be 
described. 

Narration  is  story-telling.  It  often  includes  descrip- 
tion, from  which  it  differs  as  a  picture-play  differs  from 
ordinary  pictures. 

Exposition  is  explanation.  It  may  include  descrip- 
tion and  narration,  but  it  goes  deeper.  Its  aim  is  to 
explain  the  nature  of  things. 

Argumentation  is  designed  to  persuade  people  to 
think  and  act  as  the  speaker  or  writer  wishes.  It  is  the 
most  difficult  form  of  composition,  as  it  includes  all 
of  the  others,  and  requires  close  reasoning.  We  shall 
merely  mention  it  in  this  book. 

II.  Exercises  for  Oral  Discussion 

1.  Find  examples  of  description,  narration,  exposi- 
tion, and  argumentation  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ters. 


KINDS  OF  COMPOSITION  71 

2.  Are  the  books  which  you  like  best  descriptive, 
expository,  narrative,  or  argumentative? 

3.  Mention  one  book  which  is  chiefly  descriptive, 
one  which  is  chiefly  narrative,  one  which  is  chiefly 
expository,  and  one  which  is  chiefly  argumenta- 
tive. 

4.  Find  in  a  current  paper  examples  of  each  of  the 
four  kinds  of  writing. 

III.  Memorize 

FORBEARANCE 

Hast  thou  named  all  the  birds  without  a  gun? 

Loved  the  wood-rose,  and  left  it  on  its  stalk? 

At  rich  men's  tables  eaten  bread  and  pulse? 

Unarmed,  faced  danger  with  a  heart  of  trust? 

And  loved  so  well  a  high  behavior, 

In  man  or  maid,  that  thou  from  speech  refrained, 

Nobility  more  nobly  to  repay? 

O  be  my  friend,  and  teach  me  to  be  thine! 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

DESCRIPTION 

"Simonides  called  painting  silent  poetry,  and  poetry  speaking 
painting." 

I.  Problem 

To  paint  in  words  a  picture. 

II.  Model 

A  HUNTING  SCENE 

Hills  and  fields  were  covered  with  glittering  snow; 
the  sky  wore  the  rosy  garment  of  sunrise.  There  I  saw 
three  hunters,  who  stood  beneath  a  tall  oak.  The 
larger  limbs  of  the  trees  bore  a  heavy  load  of  snow;  the 
smaller  were  decorated  with  frost.  The  costumes  of 
the  hunters  were  light  green  in  color,  which  was  set  off 
by  big  white  buttons.  At  their  feet  lay  a  stag,  whose 
red  blood  stained  the  white  snow.  Three  dark-brown 
dogs  sat  around  the  body  and  permitted  their  red 
tongues  to  hang  out  longingly.  —  Carl  Schurz,  A 
School  Composition,    Lebenserrinerungen. 

III.  Notes  and  Queries 

1.  Carl  Schurz  wrote  this  description  when  he  was 
a  boy.  It  was  included  by  his  teacher,  Heinrich 
Bone,  in  a  reader  which,  up  to  1900,  had  passed 
through  fifty-three  editions.  Perhaps  you  can 
write  one  equally  good. 

2.  Write  a  biographical  note  of  one  hundred  words 
on  Carl  Schurz. 


DESCRIPTION  73 

3.  Does  the  effect  of  this  description  depend  on 
color,  sound,  or  form? 

4.  Are  the  sentences  simple,  complex,  or  compound? 

5.  Explain  the  syntax  of  each  noun. 

6.  Are  the  "Four  W's"  sufficiently  clear? 

7.  Explain  the  reason  for  each  mark  of  punctuation. 

8.  Make  a  list  of  the  color  words. 

9.  Explain  how  each  sentence  is  hooked  to  that 
which  precedes.  Make  a  list  of  the  transition 
words. 

10.  Why  do  we  put  commas  between  the  adjectives 
in  this  sentence,  "We  saw  a  red,  white,  and  blue 
flag,"  and  yet  omit  them  in  this:  "Three  gay 
young  men  came  down  the  walk." 

11.  Has  this  paragraph  unity?  If  so,  what  elements 
produce  it? 

12.  Find  and  copy  into  your  notebook  a  better  color 
description. 

13.  Find  and  copy  into  your  notebook  descriptions 
that  depend  on  sound,  taste,  smell,  touch,  and 
combinations  of  one  or  more  of  these. 

IV.  Composition  Subjects 

1.  Examine  one  of  the  pictures  in  the  school  and 
describe  it  orally,  basing  your  work  on  its  colors. 

2.  Make  a  similar  description  of  some  scene  which 
you  see  between  now  and  6  p.m.  to-day. 

3.  Describe  according  to  the  same  plan  the  cover  of 
some  current  weekly  or  monthly  magazine. 

V.  Suggested  Time  Schedule 
Monday  —  Dictation. 
Tuesday  —  Notes  and  Queries. 
Wednesday  —  Oral  Composition. 


74  DESCRIPTION 

Thursday  —  (a)  Written  Composition;  (b)  Reviews. 
Friday  —  Speaking. 

VI.  Memorize 

THE  DAFFODILS 

I  wandered  lonely  as  a  cloud 

That  floats  on  high  o'er  vales  and  hills, 

When  all  at  once  I  saw  a  crowd,  — 
A  host  of  golden  daffodils 

Beside  the  lake,  beneath  the  trees, 

Fluttering  and  dancing  in  the  breeze. 

Continuous  as  the  stars  that  shine 

And  twinkle  in  the  Milky  Way, 
They  stretched  in  never-ending  line 

Along  the  margin  of  a  bay; 
Ten  thousand  saw  I  at  a  glance 
Tossing  their  heads  in  sprightly  dance. 

The  waves  beside  them  danced,  but  they 
Outdid  the  sparkling  waves  in  glee; 

A  poet  could  not  but  be  gay 
In  such  a  jocund  company; 

I  gazed  and  gazed  but  little  thought 

What  wealth  to  me  the  show  had  brought. 

For  oft,  when  on  my  couch  I  lie 

In  vacant  or  in  pensive  mood, 
They  flash  upon  that  inward  eye 

Which  is  the  bliss  of  solitude. 
And  then  my  heart  with  pleasure  fills 
And  dances  with  the  daffodils. 

William  Wordsworth  (1770-1850), 


CHAPTER  XV 

DESCRIPTION A    BUILDING 

"Architecture  is  frozen  music." 

I.  Problem 

Describe  any  building  in  the  range  of  your  personal 
observation  —  house,  store,  theater,  school,  church  — 
old  or  new  —  good  or  bad.  In  John  Burroughs's  "  Roof- 
Tree"  you  will  find  some  good  examples  of  the  way  in 
which  a  master  artist  can  do  this. 

II.  Model 

THE  OBSOLETEST  RAILWAY  STATION 

Sir:  Hold !  No  one  who  has  seen  it  dare  deny  that  the  very 
obsoletest  railway  station  is  the  Grand  Trunk  dippo  in  South 
Bend.  As  a  landmark  it  is  unique.  Some  believe  that  it 
was  built  by  LaSalle  to  commemorate  his  visit  to  St.  Joseph 
valley;  others  claim  it  was  slung  together  by  Daniel  Boone 
for  a  blockhouse.  The  latter  theory  is  borne  out  by  the  many 
battle  scars  still  visible  on  its  hoary  walls.  The  style  is  prin- 
cipally Gothic,  with  a  little  Hun  and  a  bit  of  Cuckoo  Clock. 
The  interior  is  done  in  the  quaint  rustic  style  peculiar  to 
lumber  camps,  the  mural  decorations  departing  somewhat 
from  the  original  idea,  being  a  clever  interweave  of  marine 
and  Kickapoo  Indian.  They  were  executed  by  Al  Fresco. 
He  died. 

In  the  matter  of  furniture  a  pursy  self-satisfied  stove  that 
apparently  never  had  any  use  for  Flynn's  hip-reducing  move- 
ments radiates  hope  from  the  center  of  the  room.  It  has  a 
charging  door  small  enough  to  prevent  small  children  and  pet 
dogs  making  an  excursion  into  the  interior,  and  located  high 
enough  to  discourage  any  one  who  is  of  a  mind  to  put  coal 
into  it.  The  women's  room  has  three  Queen  Anne  rockers. 
One  marvels  at  the  shape  Queen  Anne  must  have  had. 


76  DESCRIPTION 

A  yielding  wooden  platform  surrounds  the  structure,  with 
the  planks  placed  near  enough  together  to  prevent  trunks 
and  other  small  objects  from  falling  through.  Tastefully 
arranged  here  and  there  is  a  herd  of  hump-backed  baggage 
trucks  laden  with  milk  cans,  and,  being  in  the  down  town 
district,  this  lends  a  very  metropolitan  touch  to  our  growing 
city. 

The  population  of  South  Bend  is  60,000.  Exactly  59,999 
citizens  agree  that  the  Grand  Trunk  dippo  is  the  very  obso- 
letest.  The  60,000th  is  the  crossing  flagman,  who  won't  com- 
mit himself  for  fear  that  the  superintendent  will  make  him 
use  the  dippo  for  a  shelter.  —  Sib.    {Chicago  Tribune.) 

HI.  Topics  for  Oral  Discussion 

1.  Obsolete  and  Obsolescent. 

2.  Depot  and  Station. 

3.  South  Bend. 

4.  La  Salle. 

5.  Daniel  Boone. 

6.  Gothic,  Hun,  and  Cuckoo  Clock. 

7.  The  Kickapoo  Indians. 

8.  Al  Fresco. 

9.  Queen  Anne. 

10.  Dangling  Participles. 

11.  Metaphors  in  the  Model. 

12.  The  Paragraphing  of  the  Model. 

13.  The  Unity  of  the  Model. 

14.  The  Grand  Trunk. 

IV.  Written  Composition 

Write  a  description  of  a  building  which  you  have 
opportunity  to  study  with  your  own  eyes.  Adapt  the 
tone  of  what  you  write  to  the  character  of  the  building. 
Use  the  following  framework: 

Paragraph  1.  Strike  the  Keynote. 

Paragraph  2.  Exterior. 


DESCRIPTION  77 

Paragraph  3.  Interior. 
Paragraph  4.  Surroundings. 
Paragraph  5.  Conclusion. 

V.  Memorize 

THE  SNOW-STORM 

Announced  by  all  the  trumpets  of  the  sky, 
Arrives  the  snow,  and,  driving  o'er  the  fields, 
Seems  nowhere  to  alight:  the  whited  air 
Hides  hills  and  woods,  the  river,  and  the  heaven, 
And  veils  the  farm-house  at  the  garden's  end. 
The  sled  and  traveller  stopped,  the  courier's  feet 
Delayed,  all  friends  shut  out,  the  housemates  sit 
Around  the  radiant  fireplace,  enclosed 
In  a  tumultuous  privacy  of  storm. 

Come  see  the  north  wind's  masonry. 
Out  of  an  unseen  quarry  evermore 
Furnished  with  tile,  the  fierce  artificer 
Curves  his  white  bastions  with  projected  roof 
Round  every  windward  stake,  or  tree,  or  door. 
Speeding,  the  myriad-handed,  his  wild  work 
So  fanciful,  so  savage,  nought  cares  he 
For  number  or  proportion.   Mockingly, 
On  coop  or  kennel  he  hangs  Parian  wreaths; 
A  swan-like  form  invests  the  hidden  thorn; 
Fills  up  the  farmer's  lane  from  wall  to  wall, 
Maugre  the  farmer's  sighs;  and  at  the  gate 
A  tapering  turret  overtops  the  work. 
And  when  his  hours  are  numbered,  and  the  world 
Is  all  his  own,  retiring,  as  he  were  not, 
Leaves,  when  the  sun  appears,  astonished  Art 
To  mimic  in  slow  structures,  stone  by  stone, 
Built  in  an  age,  the  mad  wind's  night-work, 
The  frolic  architecture  of  the  snow. 

Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

DESCRIPTION  —  A    TOWN 

"True  ease  in  writing  comes  from  art,  not  chance, 
As  those  move  easiest  who  have  learned  to  dance." 

I.  Problem 

Describe  so  that  a  stranger  can  see  it  the  town  in 
which  you  live. 

II.  Model 

In  the  Acadian  land,  on  the  shore  of  the  basin  of  Minas, 

Distant,  secluded,  still,  the  little  village  of  Grand  Pre 

Lay  in  the  fruitful  valley.  Vast  meadows  stretched  to  the 
eastward, 

Giving  the  village  its  name  and  pasture  to  flocks  without 
number. 

Dikes,  that  the  hands  of  the  farmers  had  raised  with  labor 
incessant, 

Shut  out  the  turbulent  tides;  but  at  stated  seasons  the  flood- 
gates 

Opened,  and  welcomed  the  sea  to  wander  at  will  o'er  the 
meadows. 

West  and  south  there  were  fields  of  flax,  and  orchards  and 
cornfields 

Spreading  afar  and  unfenced  o'er  the  plain;  and  away  to  the 
northward 

Blomidon  rose  and  the  forests  old,  and  aloft  on  the  moun- 
tains 

Sea-fogs  pitched  their  tents,  and  mists  from  the  mighty 
Atlantic  e 

Looked  on  the  happy  valley,  but  ne'er  from  their  station 
descended. 

There,  in  the  midst  of  the  farms,  reposed  the  Acadian  village. 

Strongly  built  were  the  houses,  with  frames  of  oak  and  of 
chestnut 


DESCRIPTION  79 

Such  as  the  peasants  of  Normandy  built  in  the  reign  of  the 
Henries. 

Thatched  were  the  roofs,  with  dormer  windows;  and  gables 
projecting 

Over  the  basement  below  protected  and  shaded  the  doorway. 

There  in  the  tranquil  evenings  of  summer,  when  brightly  the 
sunset 

Lighted  the  village  street  and  gilded  the  vanes  of  the  chim- 
neys 

Matrons  and  maidens  sat  in  snow-white  caps  and  in  kirtles 

Scarlet  and  blue  and  green,  with  distaffs  spinning  the  golden 

Flax  for  the  gossiping  looms,  whose  noisy  shuttles  within 
doors 

Mingled  their  sound  with  the  whir  of  the  wheels  and  the 
songs  of  the  maidens. 

Solemnly  down  the  street  came  the  parish  priest,  and  the 
children 

Paused  in  their  play  to  kiss  the  hand  he  extended  to  bless 
them. 

Reverend  walked  he  among  them;  and  up  rose  matrons  and 
maidens, 

Hailing  his  slow  approach  with  words  of  affectionate  wel- 
come. 

Then  came  the  laborers  home  from  the  field,  and  serenely  the 
sun  sank 

Down  to  his  rest  and  twilight  prevailed.  Anon  from  the 
belfry 

Softly  the  Angelus  sounded,  and  over  the  roofs  of  the  village 

Columns  of  pale  blue  smoke,  like  clouds  of  incense  ascending, 

Rose  from  a  hundred  hearths,  the  homes  of  peace  and  con- 
tentment. 

HI.  Analysis  of  Model 

1.  Framework. 

Lines    1-  3.  The  "Four  W's." 

Lines    3-12.  The  Country  North,  South,  East, 

and  West. 
Lines  13-33.  The  Village  Itself  — 

(a)  The  Houses  (lines  13-17). 


80  DESCRIPTION 

(b)  A  Slimmer  Evening    — 
Weathei  (lines  18-19). 

(c)  Summer  Evening —  Women 
—  Priest  —  Children —  Men 
(lines  20-29). 

(d)  Sights  and  Sounds  (lines  30- 
32). 

2.  Keynote  =  Peace.  Make  a  list  of  the  words  that 
suggest  peace. 

3.  Words. 

Line    1.  Acadian.  Do  not  confuse  with  Arca- 
dian. 
2.  Grand  Pre"  —  Big  Meadow. 
10.  Blomidon.   Consult  the  atlas. 
15.  Normandy.  Where  is  it  ? 

15.  Who  were  the  Henries  ? 

16.  Explain      Thatched,     Dormer,      and 
Gables. 

19.  Explain  Vanes. 

23.  What  is  made  from  flax  ? 

29.  Define  Anon. 

30.  What  is  the  Angelus  ? 
i„  Figures  of  Speech. 

Line  4.  Note  that  the  participle  "giving"  has 
two  direct  and  two  indirect  objects 
and  that  their  order  is  reversed.  This 
is  called  Chiasmus,  from  the  Greek 
letter  Chi,  which  is  somewhat  like  an 
X.  In  the  same  line  we  have  an  ex- 
ample of  Zeugma,  which  in  Greek 
means  "yoke";  that  is,  two  nouns  of 
different  classes  are  joined  by  the 
coordinate  conjunction  "and." 

Line    7.  The  verbs  ' '  welcome ' '  and  ' '  wander ' ' 


DESCRIPTION  81 

imply  that  the  sea  is  like  a  guest. 
Similarly,  in  Line  10,  "pitched  their 
tents"  implies  that  the  sea-fogs  were 
like  a  hostile  army.  Such  implied 
comparisons  are  called  metaphors. 
Find  another. 

Line  20.  Matrons  and  Maids.  The  jingle  pro- 
duced by  the  fact  that  both  these 
words  begin  with  the  same  sound  is 
called  alliteration.  Are  there  any 
other  examples  of  alliteration  in  the 
description  ? 

Line  23.  Whir  of  the  Wheels.   Such  sound  imi- 
tation is  called  onomatopoeia. 
5.  Descriptive  Words  and  Phrases. 
Find  in  the  model  a  half-dozen  words  that  appeal  to 
the  eye  and  two  or  three  that  appeal  to  the  ear. 

IV.  Topics  for  Three-Minute  Speeches 

1.  Longfellow. 

2.  The  Story  of  Evangeline. 

3.  Parkman's  Account  of  the  Acadians. 

4.  Metaphor. 

5.  Alliteration. 

6.  Onomatopoeia. 

V.  Written  Composition 

Write  a  description  of  your  own  town.   Use  the  fol- 
lowing plans  and  specifications: 

1.  Strike  a  keynote  —  cultured,  provincial,  sleepy,  smoky, 
busy,  breezy,  etc.  Hit  this  key  several  times  during 
your  description  and  be  sure  that  you  hit  no  other. 

2.  Use  this  framework: 

Paragraph  1.  The  "Four  W's." 

2.  The  Surrounding  Country. 

3.  The  Buildings. 


82  DESCRIPTION 

4.  The  Streets. 

5.  A  Picture  of  Evening,  Noon,  Morning, 
or  Midnight,  which  will  include  chil- 
dren, women,  men,  and  some  impor- 
tant central  figure  such  as  that  occupied 
by  the  priest  in  Longfellow's  descrip- 
tion. The  time  of  year  and  the  hour  of 
the  day  you  choose  will  be  somewhat 
determined  by  the  keynote. 

3.  Do  not  try  to  write  in  verse. 

4.  Use  a  few  figures  of  speech. 

VI.  Memorize 

POLONIUS'S  ADVICE  TO  LAERTES 

Give  thy  thoughts  no  tongue, 
Nor  any  unproportion'd  thought  his  act. 
Be  thou  familiar,  but  by  no  means  vulgar. 
Those  friends  thou  hast,  and  their  adoption  tried, 
Grapple  them  to  thy  soul  with  hooks  of  steel; 
But  do  not  dull  thy  palm  with  entertainment 
Of  each  new-hatch'd,  unfledged  comrade.   Beware 
Of  entrance  to  a  quarrel,  but  being  in 
Bear't  that  the  opposed  may  beware  of  thee. 
Give  every  man  thy  ear,  but  few  thy  voice; 
Take  each  man's  censure,  but  reserve  thy  judgement. 
Costly  thy  habit  as  thy  purse  can  buy, 
But  not  express'd  in  fancy;  rich,  not  gaudy; 
For  the  apparel  oft  proclaims  the  man, 
And  they  in  France  of  the  best  rank  and  station 
Are  most  select  and  generous  in  that. 
Neither  a  borrower  nor  a  lender  be; 
For  loan  oft  loses  both  itself  and  friend, 
And  borrowing  dulls  the  edge  of  husbandry. 
This  above  all:  to  thine  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day, 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man. 

Shakespeare. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

DESCRIPTION  —  A    PERSON 
"What  a  piece  of  work  is  a  man!" 

I.  Problem 

Write  a  description  of  a  friend.  Let  it  be  good- 
natured  and  complimentary.  If  you  cannot  say  any- 
thing good  of  a  man  or  a  woman,  say  nothing. 

II.  Model 

Mr.  Squeers'  appearance  was  not  prepossessing.  He  had 
but  one  eye,  and  the  popular  prejudice  runs  in  favor  of  two. 
The  eye  he  had  was  unquestionably  useful,  but  decidedly  not 
ornamental,  being  of  a  greenish  gray  and  in  shape  resembling 
the  fanlight  of  a  street  door.  The  blank  side  of  his  face  was 
much  wrinkled  and  puckered  up,  which  gave  him  a  very  sin- 
ister appearance,  especially  when  he  smiled,  at  which  times 
his  expression  bordered  closely  on  the  villainous.  His  hair 
was  very  flat  and  shiny,  save  at  the  ends,  where  it  was 
brushed  stiffly  up  from  a  low  protruding  forehead,  which 
assorted  well  with  his  harsh  voice  and  coarse  manner.  He 
was  about  two  or  three  and  fifty  and  a  trifle  below  the  middle 
size;  he  wore  a  white  neckerchief  with  long  ends  and  a  suit  of 
scholastic  black;  but  his  coat  sleeves  being  a  great  deal  too 
long  and  his  trousers  a  great  deal  too  short,  he  appeared  ill 
at  ease  in  his  clothes  and  as  if  he  were  in  a  perpetual  state  of 
astonishment  at  finding  himself  so  respectable.  —  Charles 
Dickens,  Nicholas  Nickleby. 

III.  Topics  for  Oral  Composition 

1.  Charles  Dickens. 

2.  Nicholas  Nickleby. 

3.  Unity  in  the  Model. 


84  DESCRIPTION 

4.  Antithesis  in  the  Model. 

5.  Color  in  the  Model. 

6.  The  Order  of  the  Items  in  the  Model:  Can  it  be 
improved  ? 

7.  Hard  Words  in  the  Model. 

IV.  Written  Composition 

1.  Write  a  description  of  one  of  the  following: 

Julius  Caesar.  Horatio  Nelson. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte.  Andrew  Jackson. 

George  Washington.  Daniel  Webster. 

Abraham  Lincoln.  Benjamin  Franklin. 

Any  other  famous  man  or  woman  whose  picture  is 
familiar  to  all  of  the  class  will  be  an  equally  good  sub- 
ject. Do  not  name  him,  but  let  the  class  guess  from 
your  description  who  is  meant. 

2.  Write  a  description  of  one  of  your  teachers. 

3.  Write  a  description  of  one  of  your  classmates. 

Before  writing  observe  (1)  that  Dickens's  descrip- 
tion of  Mr.  Squeers  has  a  topic  sentence,  which  strikes 
the  keynote  of  the  paragraph;  (2)  that  every  item  is  in 
harmony  with  this  keynote ;  and  (3)  that  the  following 
items  are  used  in  the  following  order: 


1.  Eye. 

7.  Manner. 

2.  Face. 

8.  Age. 

3.  Smile. 

9.  Height. 

4.  Hair. 

10.  Neckerchief 

5.  Forehead. 

11.  Clothes. 

6.  Voice. 

Examination  shows  that  the  first  sentence  strikes 
the  keynote  of  the  paragraph;  sentences  2-5  inclusive 
describe  Mr.  Squeers'  face;  and  the  last  sentence  is 
devoted  to  the  rest  of  him.  Note  the  words  that 
hook  the  sentences  together.  Note  also  the  words  that 


DESCRIPTION  85 

keep  constantly  before  the  reader  the  idea  that  Squeers 
is  unprepossessing. 

Your  description  must  be  constructed  according  to 
the  following  specifications: 

1.  First  sentence  =  keynote. 

2.  At  least  ten  items. 

3.  Transition  words  in  each  sentence. 

4.  Repetition  of  keynote  several  times.  In  the  model 
it  is  struck  first  by  the  phrase  "  not  prepossessing."  It  is 
repeated  bv  (1)  "  but  one  eye  ";  (2)  "  not  ornamental  "; 
(3)  "sinister";  (4)  "villainous";  (5)  "low";  (6)  "harsh"; 
(7)  "  coarse  ";  (8)  "  ill  at  ease  ";  (9)  "  in  a  perpetual  state 
of  astonishment  at  finding  himself  so  respectable." 

V.  Memorize 

THE  SCHOOL  GIRL 

From  some  sweet  home,  the  morning  train 

Brings  to  the  city, 
Five  days  a  week,  in  sun  or  rain, 
Returning  like  a  song's  refrain, 

A  school  girl  pretty. 

A  wild  flower's  unaffected  grace 

Is  dainty  miss's; 
Yet  in  her  shy  expressive  face 
The  touch  of  urban  arts  I  trace, 

And  artifices. 

No  one  but  she  and  Heaven  knows 

Of  what  she's  thinking: 
It  may  be  either  books  or  beaux, 
Fine  scholarship  or  stylish  clothes, 

Per  cents  or  prinking. 

Is  she  familiar  with  the  wars 

Of  Julius  Caesar? 
Do  crucibles  and  Leyden  jars, 
And  Browning,  and  the  moons  of  Mars, 

And  Euclid,  please  her? 


86  DESCRIPTION 

A  charm  attends  her  everywhere  — 

A  sense  of  beauty; 
Care  smiles  to  see  her  free  of  care; 
The  hard  heart  loves  her  unaware; 

Age  pays  her  duty. 

Her  innocence  is  panoply, 

Her  weakness,  power; 
The  earth  her  guardian,  and  the  sky; 
God's  every  star  is  her  ally, 

And  every  flower. 

William  Henry  Venable.1 

1  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Dodd,  Mead  &  Co. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

NARRATION 

"Wrinkles  should  merely  indicate  where  smiles  have  been." 

I.  Problem 

Tell  in  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  words  a  good 
story. 

II.  Model 

When  Prince  Alexander  of  Battenberg,  one  of  the  youngest 
of  Queen  Victoria's  many  grandsons,  was  at  Eton,  he  found, 
as  often  happens  with  boys,  whether  royal  or  not,  that  he  had 
spent  his  allowance  of  pocket  money  long  before  the  next 
allowance  was  due.  He  thereupon  wrote  to  his  illustrious 
grandmother,  asking  her  to  relieve  his  financial  straits.  The 
expected  remittance  did  not  come;  but  the  prince  received 
instead  a  letter  from  the  queen,  in  which  she  very  sensibly 
reminded  her  extravagant  little  grandson  that  it  was  the 
duty  of  little  boys  to  keep  within  their  allowance.  The  an- 
swer to  this  grandmotherly  piece  of  advice  was:  "My  dear 
Grandmama:  I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  to  know  that  I  need 
not  trouble  you  for  any  money  just  now,  for  I  sold  your  last 
letter  to  another  boy  for  thirty  shillings." 

III.  Notes 

1.  Eton.   A  famous  English  school. 

2.  Thirty    Shillings.     A    shilling    is    worth    about 
twenty-four  cents. 

IV.  Queries 

1.  What  do  you  know  about  Queen  Victoria? 

2.  About  how  old  do  you  think  Prince  Alexander 
was  at  the  time  this  incident  occurred? 


88  NARRATION 

3.  Point  out  in  the  model  one  simple,  one  compound, 
and  one  complex  sentence. 

4.  Why  is  the  semicolon  used  after  "come,"  in  line 
7?    The  colon  after  "was,"  in  line  11? 

V.  Analysis  of  Model 

Every  good  story  consists  of  three  parts,  a  situation, 

a  climax,  and  a  denouement.  The  situation  includes 

the  "Four  W's."    In  the  model  they  are  as  follows: 

Who  —  Prince  Alexander  and  Queen  Victoria. 

What  —  A  schoolboy's  impecuniosity  and  a  queen's  wealth. 

When  —  When  the  Prince  was  at  Eton. 

Where  —  Eton. 

Note  that  "Who"  includes  two  people,  and  that  in 
"What"  there  are  two  contrasted  factors. 

The  climax  is  a  second  situation  which  grows  out  of 
the  first  and  is  so  difficult  for  the  hero  that  it  cannot 
continue.  In  this  case  it  is  supplied  by  the  Prince's 
embarrassment  at  his  grandmother's  refusal.  In  other 
words,  the  boy's  poverty  is  not  relieved  by  the  grand- 
mother's wealth. 

The  denouement  is  the  way  out.  It  introduces  sud- 
denly a  new  factor,  not  mentioned  before,  which  solves 
the  hero's  problem.  This  new  factor  is  that  peculiar 
human  characteristic  which  makes  people  wish  to  own 
the  autographs  of  distinguished  people.  The  hero  is 
clever  enough  to  take  advantage  of  it. 

Every  good  story  has  these  same  elements. 

VI.  Exercises 

Analyze  the  following  anecdotes  according  to  the 
model  in  V: 

1 

Much  Worse.  —  "Mirandy,  fo'  de  Lawd's  sake,  don't  let 
dem  chickens  outer  dis  here  yard.   Shut  dat  gate."   "What 


NARRATION  89 

fur,  Aleck;  dey'll  come  home,  won't  dey?"    "  Deed  dey 
won't.  Dey'll  go  home."  —  Columbia  Jester. 

2 

Kate  Douglas  Wiggin's  choicest  possession,  she  says,  is  a 
letter  which  she  once  received  from  the  superintendent  of  a 
home  for  the  feeble-minded.  He  spoke  in  glowing  terms  of 
the  pleasure  with  which  the  "inmates"  had  read  her  little 
book,  "Marm  Lisa,"  and  ended  thus  superbly:  "In  fact, 
madam,  I  think  I  may  safely  say  that  you  are  the  favorite 
author  of  the  feeble-minded!" —  Woman  s  Home  Companion. 


Opportunity.  —  A  young  suburban  doctor  whose  practice 
was  not  very  great  sat  in  his  study  reading  away  a  lazy  after- 
noon in  early  summer.  His  man  servant  appeared  at  the  door. 

"Doctor,  them  boys  is  stealin'  your  green  peaches  again. 
Shall  I  chase  them  away?" 

The  doctor  looked  thoughtful  for  a  moment,  then  leveled 
his  eyes  at  the  servant. 

"No,"  he  said.  —  LippincotCs  Monthly  Magazine. 


A  sergeant  calling  the  roll  for  a  company  of  the  new 
"sportsmen"  battalion  for  the  first  time  had  a  terrible  expe- 
rience recently.  Having  disposed  successfully  of  a  few  "Har- 
pers," "Mitchells,"  etc.,  he  came  to  the  name  "Montague." 

"Private  Montaig,"  shouted  the  sergeant. 

There  was  no  reply,  but  when  the  name  was  repeated  a 
half-hearted  "Here,  sir,"  came  from  the  ranks. 

"Why  didn't  you  answer  before?"  demanded  the  ser- 
geant. "Because  my  name  is  Mon-ta-gue,"  replied  the  recruit. 

"Well,"  snapt  the  sergeant,  "you'll  do  seven  days' 
fatigew." 

The  next  name  on  the  list,  Majoribanks,  brought  no 
response,  for  the  sergeant  pronounced  it  "Majoreybanks." 

A  second  call  brought  the  mild  response;  "I  expect  you 
mean  me,  sir.   My  name  is  'Marshbanks." 

The  sergeant  almost  reeled,  but  proceeded  bravely  with 
"Colquhoun," 


90  NARRATION 

"Private  Col-kew-houn,"  he  called.  "Coohoon,  sir,  that's 
me,"  came  a  hri.sk  reply  from  the  front  rank. 

The  drill-instructor  gave  up  and,  closing  his  book,  he 
wearily  gave  the  order  "number."  When  this  was  completed 
he  said : 

"One  hundred  and  twenty-one.  That's  right.  Now,  if 
there  are  any  more  of  you  with  fancy  names  just  come  to  me 
after  drill  and  tell  me  how  you  would  like  to  be  called."  — 
Philadelphia  Ledger. 

VII.  Written  Composition 

1.  Do  one  of  the  following  exercises: 

(a)  Write  Prince  Alexander's  letter  to  Queen 
Victoria. 

(b)  Write  Queen  Victoria's  reply. 

(c)  Write  the  letter  in-  which  Queen  Victoria 
afterward  informed  Prince  Alexander's  father 
of  the  circumstance. 

(d)  Write  the  letter  in  which  Prince  Alexander 
told  his  sister  of  the  incident. 

(e)  Write  the  letter  in  which  the  purchaser  of  the 
letter  told  his  cousin. 

VIII.  Oral  Composition 

Organize  a  banquet  with  a  toastmaster.  Each  mem- 
ber of  the  class  must  respond  to  his  call  with  a  story 
that  is  at  once  mirth-provoking  and  dignified.  It  must 
be  a  story,  not  a  mere  joke.  The  success  of  each 
speaker  will  be  measured  by  the  heartiness  of  the 
laughter  that  he  or  she  produces. 

IX.  Memorize 

"THE  BOYS" J 

Has  there  any  old  fellow  got  mixed  with  the  boys? 
If  he  has,  put  him  out  without  making  a  noise. 

1  This  poem  was  written  by  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  to  be  read  at 
the  1859  reunion  of  the  class  that  was  graduated  in  1829  from  Har.- 


NARRATION  91 

Hang  the  Almanac's  cheat  and  the  Catalogue's  spite ! 
Old  Time  is  a  liar!   We're  twenty  tonight! 

We're  twenty!  We're  twenty!   Who  says  we  are  more? 
He's  tipsy  —  young  jackanapes!  —  show  him  the  door! 
"Gray  temples  at  twenty?"  —  Yes!  white,  if  we  please; 
Where   the   snownakes   fall   thickest   there's   nothing   can 
freeze ! 

•  •••••••.• 

We've  a  trick,  we  young  fellows,  you  may  have  been  told, 
Of  talking  (in  public)  as  if  we  were  old; 
That  boy  we  call  "Doctor"  and  this  we  call  "Judge"; 
It's  a  neat  little  fiction;  of  course  it's  all  fudge. 

That  fellow's  the  "Speaker"  —  the  one  on  the  right; 
"  Mr.  Mayor,"  my  young  one,  how  are  you  tonight  ? 
That's  our  "Member  of  Congress,"  we  say  when  we  chaff; 
There's  the  "Reverend"  —  what's  his  name?  —  don't  make 
me  laugh! 

That  boy  with  the  grave  mathematical  look 
Made  believe  he  had  written  a  wonderful  book, 
And  the  Royal  Society  thought  it  was  true! 
So  they  chose  him  right  in  —  a  good  joke  it  was,  too. 
{Continued  on  Page  94-) 

vard.  In  it  he  tries  to  make  his  classmates  forget  their  years  and 
their  honors  so  that  for  one  night  at  least  they  may  be  boys  again. 
But  the  poem  has  a  wider  message.  It  has  a  message  for  every  boy 
who  aspires  to  be  great  or  useful.  It  means  to  him  that  some  day  he 
may  be  doctor,  judge,  Speaker,  Member  of  Congress,  Fellow  of  the 
Royal  Society,  poet,  or  philanthropist. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

NARRATION  —  THE  WIT  OF  CHILDREN 

"The  child  is  father  of  the  man." 

I.  Problem 

Write  in  about  one  hundred  words  an  account  of 
some  bright  saying  by  a  child.  A  child  is  specified, 
because  the  bright  sayings  of  older  people  are  usually 
stolen  without  quotation  marks. 

II.  Models 

1 

Little  four-year-old  Stanley's  uncle  was  engaged  to  be 
married  and  therefore  was  seldom  at  home  when  Stanley  and 
his  parents  came  to  visit  grandmother's.  One  Sunday  after- 
noon, however,  he  was  at  home,  and,  seeing  Stanley  playing 
on  the  front  lawn,  jokingly  said  to  him,  "Here,  get  off  my 
grass."  Whereupon  Stanley  answered,  "This  isn't  your 
grass;  you  don't  live  here  —  you  only  sleep  here."  —  Chicago 
Tribune. 

2 

A  boy  of  six  was  being  shown  through  the  Art  Institute 
by  his  mother,  who  stopped  before  one  of  the  "old  masters," 
and,  after  explaining  the  beauty  and  value  of  the  picture, 
said,  "Now,  dearie,  won't  you  promise  to  remember  all  I 
have  told  you  about  this  picture?"  The  young  hopeful  said, 
"Yes,  I  will  —  if  you  will  promise  never  to  bring  me  here 
again."  —  Ibid. 

3 

Marjorie  —  "Will  I  get  everything  I  pray  for,  mama?" 
Mother  (cautiously)  —  "Everything  that's  good  for  you, 
dear." 


NARRATION  93 

Marjorie  (disgustedly)  —  "Oh,  what's  the  use,  then;  I  get 
that  anyway."  —  Life. 

4> 

Hostess  (at  party)  —  "Does  your  mother  allow  you  to  have 
two  pieces  of  pie  when  you  are  at  home,  Willie?" 

Willie  (who  has  asked  for  a  second  piece)  —  "No, 
ma'am." 

"Well,  do  you  think  she'd  like  you  to  have  two  pieces 
here?" 

"Oh,"  confidently,  "she  wouldn't  care.  This  isn't  her 
pie!"  —  Louisville  Times. 

5 

Little  Bobby  Beatem  went  with  his  mother  to  buy  a  pair 
of  knickerbockers.  When  he  had  looked  at  all  the  varieties  in 
the  store,  he  was  still  dissatisfied. 

"I  want  that  pair  in  the  window,"  he  protested. 

"These  are  just  exactly  like  them,"  assured  the  clerk; 
"  but  if  you  want  that  particular  pair,  I  '11  get  them  for  you." 

And  he  produced  them,  much  to  Bobby's  satisfaction. 
They  bore  a  sign  which  read,  "  These  knickerbockers  can  not 
be  beat."  —  Judge. 

6 

The  kindergarten  teacher  recited  to  her  pupils  the  story 
of  the  wolf  and  the  lamb.   As  she  completed  it  she  said: 

"Now,  children,  you  see  that  the  lamb  would  not  have 
been  eaten  by  the  wolf  if  he  had  been  good  and  sensible." 

One  little  boy  raised  his  hand. 

"Well,  John,"  asked  the  teacher,  "what  is  it?" 

"If  the  lamb  had  been  good  and  sensible,"  said  the  little 
boy,  gravely,  "we  should  have  had  him  to  eat,  wouldn't 
we?"  —  New  York  Times. 

III.  Topics  for  Oral  Discussion 

1.  Can  these  stories  be  analyzed  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple as  those  in  the  preceding  chapter? 

2.  What  is  the  advantage  of  the  dialogue  form? 


94  NAKRATION 

3.  On  what  principle  are  the  stories  paragraphed? 

4.  State  the  principles  on  which  the  quotation  marks 
are  used  in  each. 

5.  Suggest  a  title  for  each  model. 

IV.  Composition 

1.  Oral.   Tell  your  story  to  the  club. 

2.  Written.   Write  it. 

3.  Pay  especial  attention  to  spelling,  punctuation, 
capitalization,  grammar,  and  sentence  structure. 

V.  Memorize 

THE   BOYS  (continued  from  Page  90) 

There's  a  boy,  we  pretend,  with  a  three-decker  brain, 

That  could  harness  a  team  with  a  logical  chain; 

When  he  spoke  for  our  manhood  in  syllabled  fire, 

We  called  him  "The  Justice,"  but  now  he's  "The  Squire." 

And  there's  a  nice  youngster  of  excellent  pith; 
Fate  tried  to  conceal  him  by  naming  him  Smith; 
But  he  shouted  a  song  for  the  brave  and  the  free; 
Just  read  on  his  medal,  "My  country,"  "of  thee!" 

You  hear  that  boy  laughing?  —  You  think  he's  all  fun; 
But  the  angels  laugh,  too,  at  the  good  he  has  done; 
The  children  laugh  loud  as  they  troop  to  his  call, 
And  the  poor  man  that  knows  him  laughs  loudest  of  all. 

Yes,  we  're  boys  —  always  playing  with  tongue  or  with  pen ; 
And  I  sometimes  have  asked,  "Shall  we  ever  be  men?" 
Shall  we  always  be  youthful  and  laughing  and  gay 
Till  the  last  dear  companion  drops  smiling  away? 

Then  here's  to  our  boyhood,  its  gold  and  its  gray! 
The  stars  of  its  winter,  the  dews  of  its  May! 
And  when  we  have  done  with  its  lifedasting  toys, 
Dear  Father,  take  care  of  thy  children,  the  boys  ! 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 


CHAPTER  XX 

EXPOSITION 

"  Make  it  a  point  to  do  something  every  day  that  you  don't  want 
to.  This  is  the  golden  rule  for  acquiring  the  habit  of  doing  your 
duty  without  pain." 

I.  Introduction 

Somebody  has  called  this  the  age  of  exposition. 
Probably  more  people  have  occasion  to  explain  than 
have  occasion  to  describe,  narrate,  or  argue.  Captains 
of  industry,  salesmen,  foremen,  writers  of  advertise- 
ments employ  it  constantly.  Housekeepers  in  giving 
instruction  to  their  cooks  and  football  coaches  in  ex- 
plaining plays  and  in  training  players  alike  use  expo- 
sition. Exposition,  too,  is  the  special  business  of  the 
teacher,  and  most  text-books  are  full  of  expositions. 

II.  Problem 

1.  What  do  you  know  how  to  make  or  do? 

2.  Tell  in  about  200  words  how  to  do  it  or  make  it. 

m.  Model 

The  proper  way  to  make  a  smudge  is  this:  begin  with  a 
'very  little  lowly  fire.  Let  it  be  bright  but  not  ambitious. 
Don't  try  to  make  a  smoke  yet. 

Then  gather  a  good  supply  of  stuff  which  seems  likely  to 
suppress  fire  without  smothering  it.  Moss  of  a  certain  kind 
will  do,  but  not  the  soft  feathery  moss  that  grows  so  deep 
among  the  spruce  trees.  Half-decayed  wood  is  good;  spongy 
moist  unpleasant  stuff,  a  vegetable  wet  blanket.  The  bark  of 
dead  evergreen  trees,  hemlock,  spruce,  or  balsam,  is  better 
still.  Gather  a  plentiful  store  of  it.  But  don't  try  to  make  a 
smoke  yet. 


96  EXPOSITION 

Let  your  fire  burn  awhile  longer;  cheer  it  up  a  little.  Get 
some  clear  resolute  unquenchable  coals  aglow  in  the  heart  of 
it.  Don't  try  to  make  a  smoke  yet. 

Now  pile  on  your  smoldering  fuel.  Fan  it  with  your  hat. 
Kneel  down  and  blow  it,  and  in  ten  minutes  you  will  have  a 
smoke  that  will  make  you  wish  you  had  never  been  born. 

That  is  the  proper  way  to  make  a  smudge.  But  the  easiest 
way  is  to  ask  your  guide  to  make  it  for  you.  —  Henry  van 
Dyke.  x 

IV.  Topics  for  Oral  Composition 

1.  Does  Henry  van  Dyke  make  the  various  pro- 
cesses of  making  a  smudge  stand  out  clearly? 
How  does  he  do  it? 

2.  Who  is  Henry  van  Dyke? 

3.  What  is  a  smudge  good  for? 

4.  Are  there  any  metaphors  in  the  model? 

5.  Explain  the  subject  of  each  paragraph. 

6.  What  is  the  fundamental  difference  between  van 
Dyke's  style  and  that  of  the  typical  cook-book? 

V.  Exercises 

Write  an  exposition  on  one  of  the  following  topics : 

1.  Building  a  Furnace  Fire. 

2.  Planting  Corn. 

3.  Milking. 

4.  Making  Chickens  Profitable. 

5.  Constructing  a  Box. 

6.  How  a  city  boy  or  girl  can  make  money. 

7.  How  a  village  boy  or  girl  can  make  money. 

8.  How  a  country  boy  or  girl  can  make  money. 
0.  How  to  sew  on  a  Button. 

10.  Keeping  Books. 

11.  Operating  a  Typewriter. 

12.  How  to  start  an  Automobile. 

13.  Running  a  Base-burner. 

1  From  Fisherman's  Luck.  Reprinted  by  permission  of  Charles 
Scribner's  Sons. 


EXPOSITION  97 

14.  The  Care  of  a  Horse. 

15.  How  to  play  Tennis. 

16.  Any  other  subject  which  your  teacher  approves. 

In  writing,  use  the  following  framework: 

Paragraph  1.  Introduction. 

Paragraphs  2-4.  Allot  one  of  these  paragraphs  to 
each  process.  If  there  are  more  than  three  processes, 
use  a  larger  number  of  paragraphs. 

Paragraph  5.  Conclusion. 

To  illuminate  your  exposition,  as  Henry  van  Dyke 
does,  with  a  metaphor  or  so  or  with  a  touch  of  humor, 
is  neither  a  sin  nor  a  crime. 

Write  as  if  your  audience  were  composed  of  chil- 
dren. In  other  words,  assume  that  they  know  noth- 
ing of  the  subject.  Be  as  clear  and  as  simple  as  you 
can.  This  is  the  secret  of  popularity.  It  is  the  chief 
reason  why  Shakespeare,  Macaulay,  and  Rudyard 
Kipling  are  read  more  than  Ben  Jonson,  Carlyle,  and 
William  de  Morgan. 

VI.  A  Poor  Specimen 

Cream  of  Wheat  and  Chopped  Figs 
$  c.  cream  of  wheat.  4  c.  boiling  water.   Salt.  Stir  wheat 
slowly  into  boiling  water.    Steam  thirty  to  forty  minutes 
until  soft  and  add  chopped  figs  when  cream  of  wheat  is  one- 
half  done. 

VII.  Analysis 

This  is  a  typical  recipe,  as  recipes  appear  in  cook- 
books. It  is  really  a  series  of  rough  notes.  It  lacks 
coherence;  sentence  structure  is  conspicuous  by  reason 
of  its  absence;  the  style  is  characterized  by  a  fine  dis- 
regard of  the  articles;  and  its  structure  is  conspicu- 
ous by  its  absence.  If  we  rewrite  it,  we  shall  get 
something  like  this: 


98  EXPOSITION 

The  proper  way  to  make  cream  of  wheat  and  chopped 
figs  is  this.  First,  take  half  a  cup  of  cream  of  wheat,  a  few 
chopped  figs,  four  cups  of  boiling  water,  and  a  little  salt. 
Second,  stir  the  wheat  slowly  into  the  boiling  water.  Third, 
allow  the  mixture  to  steam  about  fifteen  minutes.  Fourth, 
add  the  chopped  figs.  Fifth,  let  the  mixture  steam  until  the 
wheat  is  soft,  that  is,  between  fifteen  and  twenty-five  min- 
utes longer. 

VIII.  Exercises 

1.  Translate  into  plain  English  one  of  the  recipes 
given  below. 

2.  Translate  another  of  them  into  literary  English, 
that  is,  English  enlivened  by  wit,  humor,  sar- 
casm, metaphor,  or  contrast. 

3.  Write  a  recipe  for  some  dish  that  you  know  how 
to  make. 

Caution  1.  Please  remember  that  in  the  English 
language  there  are  three  little  words  called  arti- 
cles. These  are  "a,"  "an,"  and  "the."  There  is 
no  law  forbidding  their  use,  even  when  one  is 
writing  recipes. 

Caution  2.  Make  the  different  processes  stand 
out  clearly  from  each  other. 

Cocoa. 

\  c.  milk.  J  t.  cocoa. 

\  c.  water.  1  t.  sugar. 

Mix  cocoa  with  sugar,  then  stir  in  the  water,  either  hot  or 

cold.  Cook  directly  over  the  flame.  Add  to  scalded  milk  and 

let  it  blend  from  five  to  ten  minutes.   Beat  with  Dover  Egg 

beater  just  before  serving. 

Pan  Broiled  Chops. 
Use  frying  pan  heated  hot.  Rub  over  quickly  with  tiny  bit 
of  fat,  so  meat  will  not  stick.  Put  in  meat.  Sear  on  one  side, 
then  the  other.    Lower  temperature  and  cook  slowly  until 
done.  Do  not  fry.  Pour  out  fat  as  it  melts. 


EXPOSITION  S9 

Codfish  Balls. 
1  c.  potatoes  —  cut  into  small  pieces. 
\  c.  fish. 
1  t.  butter. 

Pepper  and  salt. 
Cook  fish  and  potatoes  together  until  potatoes  are  soft. 
Drain  and  mash  with  fork.  Add  beaten  egg,  butter  and  sea- 
soning. Beat  until  light.  Take  up  by  spoonfuls.  Pat  lightly 
and  fry  until  brown. 

.  Poaclwd  Egg. 
Break  egg  carefully  into  saucer.  Have  ready  a  frying  pan 
with  water  enough  to  cover  egg.  Bring  water  to  boiling 
point.  Slip  in  egg.  Lower  temperature  immediately.  Cook 
till  white  is  of  desired  consistency.  If  the  yolk  comes  out  of 
water,  pour  spoonful  of  water  on  it. 

IX.  Memorize 

SUCCESS 

That  low  man  seeks  a  little  thing  to  do, 

Sees  it.  and  does  it; 
This  high  man,  with  a  great  thing  to  pursue, 

Dies  ere  he  knows  it. 
That  low  man  goes  on  adding  one  to  one; 

His  hundred's  soon  hit; 
This  high  man,  aiming  at  a  million, 

Misses  an  unit. 
That  has  the  world  here;  should  he  need  the  next, 

Let  the  world  mind  him! 
This  throws  himself  on  God,  and  unperplexed 

Seeking  shall  find  him. 

Robert  Browning. 

A  Grammarian's  Funeral. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

SUPPLEMENTARY   EXERCISES 

I.  Introduction 

Every  school  library  should  contain  several  collec- 
tions of  letters  and  a  number  of  biographies  rich  in 
correspondence.  In  addition  each  pupil  should  own  a 
collection  of  letters  such  as  is  found  in  H.  J.  Anderson's 
English  Letters  (Longmans);  Cook  and  Benham's 
Specimen  Letters  (Ginn  &  Co.);  or  Claude  M.  Fuess's 
Selected  English  Letters  (Riverside  Literature  Series; 
Houghton  Mifflin  Co.).  The  references  in  parentheses 
in  the  following  exercises  are  to  these  three  books. 

II.  Exercises  in  Business  Letters 

1.  Make  a  collection  of  business  letters;  study  them  in 
order  to  determine  their  relative  merit;  mark  them  with 
reference  to  stationery,  neatness,  form,  spelling,  punctu- 
ation, grammar,  and  rhetorical  excellence;  paste  them 
on  cardboard  and  hang  them  in  the  English  room,  thus 
making  an  instructive  exhibit. 

2.  Make  a  similar  exhibit  of  friendly  letters. 

3.  Make  an  exhibit  of  formal  invitations  and  replies. 

4.  Write  the  letters  needed  to  issue  a  school  annual. 

5.  Carry  on  the  correspondence  involved  in  the  production 
of  a  school  play,  the  purchase  of  a  class  picture,  the 
management  of  a  base-ball  team,  or  the  organization  of 
a  track  meet. 

6.  Write  all  of  the  letters,  advertisements,  invitations,  and 
programs  required  for  the  proper  management  of  a 
school  dance  or  banquet. 

7.  After  finding  suitable  models,  write  the  following  cycle 
of  business  letters,  preserving  them  as  an  evidence  of 
your  fitness  for  a  business  position:  (a)  A  Letter  of 


SUPPLEMENTARY  EXERCISES  101 

Application;  (b)  An  Order  Letter;  (c)  A  Letter  of  Com- 
plaint; (d)  A  Sales  Letter;  (e)  A  Letter  inclosing  a 
Check;  (f)  An  Answer  to  an  Order  Letter;  (g)  An 
Answer  to  a  Letter  of  Complaint;  {h)  A  Letter  request- 
ing Payment;  (i)  A  Letter  acknowledging  Payment. 
(Consult  Dwyer's  The  Business  Letter.) 

III.  Exercises  in  Friendly  Letters 

1.  Advice.  Write  a  letter  of  advice  to  yourself  from  your 
father  or  mother  or  from  yourself  to  a  friend.  For 
models  see  "Susanna  Wesley  to  Her  Son,"  July  24, 
1732  (Anderson,  page  12)  and  "Sidney  Smith  to  Lucy," 
July  22,  1835  (Fuess,  page  41;  Anderson,  page  75). 

2.  Books.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend  tell  your  real  opinion  of 
one  of  the  books  you  have  read  in  school.  Model: 
William  Cowper  to  the  Reverend  Thomas  Unwin, 
October  31,  1779  (F.  30). 

3.  Children.  Write  a  friendly  letter  to  a  child.  Models: 
"Francis  Jeffrey  to  his  Grand-daughter,"  June  20, 1848 
(A.  105);  "Thomas  Hood  to  May,"  April,  1844  (F.  59); 
"John  Brown  to  his  Son,"  1856  (A.  107);  "Lewis  Car- 
roll to  Jessie,"  January  22,  1878  (A.  119);  "Robert 
Louis  Stevenson  to  Tom  Archer,"  1888  (A.  126), 
(C.  B.  124). 

4.  Consolation,  (a)  Write  a  letter  announcing  a  piece  of 
bad  news,  (b)  Write  a  letter  designed  to  hearten  some 
friend  who  is  in  trouble.  Models:  "Oliver  Cromwell  to 
Colonel  Valentine  Walton,"  July  5,  1644  (A.  2);  "The 
Duke  of  Wellington  to  a  Lady,"  January  21,  1812 
(A.  36);  "Abraham  Lincoln  to  Mrs.  Bixby,"  Novem- 
ber 21,  1864  (C.  B.  100);  "William  Vaughn  Moody 
to  Daniel  Gregory  Mason,"  February  16,  1896  (F. 
103). 

5.  Description.  Write  a  letter  describing  a  city,  a  state,  or 
a  country.  Models:  "Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague 
on  Holland,"  August  3, 1716  (A.  10),  (C.  B.  2) ;  "  Robert 
Southey  on  Lisbon,"  February  1,  1796  (A.  49);  "Laf- 
cadio  Hearn  on  New  York,"  1889  (F.  99);  "Phillips 
Brooks  on  India,"  February  22,  1883  (C.  B.  118). 

6.  Farewells.   Write  a  letter  bidding  good-bye  to  a  friend 


102  SUPPLEMENTARY  EXERCISES 

whom  you  do  not  expect  soon  to  see.   See  "Thackeray 
to  Fitzgerald,"  October  27,  1852  (F.  76). 

7.  Homesickness.  Write  a  letter  to  your  mother  telling 
how  you  wish  you  were  home  or  to  a  friend  explaining  a 
desire  to  be  with  him  or  her.  Model:  "Lord  to  Lady 
Collingwood,"  June  16,  1806  (A.  32). 

8.  Hotels.  Describe  a  hotel  at  which  you  have  been  a 
guest.  "O.  W.  Holmes  to  James  T.  Fields,"  October 
23,  1867  (F.  69). 

9.  Invitation.  "  George  Washington  to  Dr.  John  Coch- 
rane "  (C.  B.  41). 

10.  Journeys.  Write  a  letter  describing  a  journey  you  have 
made.  Models:  "Lady  Anne  Barnard  to  Henry  Dun- 
das,"  May  7,  1798  (A.  11);  "Samuel  Rogers  to  Thomas 
Moore,"  October  17,  1814  (A.  61);  "T.  B.  Macaulay  to 
T.  F.  Ellis,"  July  1,  1834  (A.  79). 

11.  Luck.  Write  a  letter  announcing  a  piece  of  good  or  ill 
luck.  Model:  "Horatio  Nelson  to  his  Wife,"  August 
18.  1794  (A.  30),  (C.  B.  41). 

12.  Nothing.  Write  a  letter  about  nothing.  See  "  Alexander 
Pope  to  Henry  Cromwell,"  April  17,  1708  (A.  9), 
(C.  B.  2). 

13.  Paper  Cutter.  In  the  name  of  your  watch,  knife,  hand- 
kerchief, or  any  other  article  that  is  yours,  write  a  letter 
to  the  person  who  gave  it  to  you.  Model:  "Robert 
Louis  Stevenson  to  Miss  Adelaide  Boodle,"  October  10, 
1888  (A.  131). 

14.  Pet.  Write  a  letter  about  one  of  your  pets.  Model: 
"Charles  Dickens  to  Maclise,"  March  12,  1841  (A.  97). 

15.  Public  Ceremony.  Write  a  letter  describing  a  proces- 
sion, pageant,  or  great  public  ceremony  of  any  kind. 
Model:  "Lucy  Aikin  to  Mrs.  Taylor,"  July,  1806 
(A.  35). 

16.  Public  Opinion.  Write  a  letter  explaining  the  state  of 
public  opinion  on  any  live  question.  Model:  "Benja- 
min Franklin  to  Joseph  Priestley,"  October  3,  1775 
(F.  20). 

17.  Rebuke.  Write  a  letter  rebuking  a  sinner.  Models: 
"Samuel  Johnson  to  the  Earl  of  Chesterfield,"  Febru- 
ary, 1755  (F.  21),  (C.  B.  19);  "Abraham  Lincoln  to 
Horace  Greeley,"  August  22,  1862  (F.  67),  (C.  B.  97). 


SUPPLEMENTARY  EXERCISES  103 

18.  Request.  Write  a  letter  requesting  a  favor.  See  "Robert 
Burns  to  the  Earl  of  Glencairn,"  1787  (F.  36). 

19.  Sight  of  a  Personage.  Describe  in  a  letter  to  a  friend  a 
glimpse  of  a  great  man  or  woman.  Model:  "Amelia 
Opie  to  Dr.  Alderson,"  1802  (A.  37). 

20.  Thanks.  Write  a  letter  of  thanks  for  a  favor  or  a  gift. 
Models:  "Samuel  Johnson  to  Mrs  James  Boswell," 
July  22,  1777  (A.  18),  (C.  B.  27)-  "Joseph  Addison  to 
Chamberlain  Dashwood,"  July  1702  (F.  8),  (C.  B.  1); 
"Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich  to  William  Dean  Howells," 
December  13,  1875  (F.  93). 

21.  Toothache.  Describe  a  cold,  a  toothache,  or  some  other 
ill.  Model:  "Lafcadio  Hearn  to  Mitchell  McDonald," 
July,  1898  (F.  101). 

22.  Train.  Write  a  letter  from  a  train  telling  what  impres- 
sions you  received  while  on  board.  Model:  "Robert 
Louis  Stevenson  to  W.  E.  Henley,"  1879  (A.  121), 
(C.  B.  114). 

23.  Umbrella.  Write  a  letter  imploring  a  delinquent  friend 
to  restore  a  book,  umbrella,  or  other  missing  article. 
See  "Thomas  Huxley  to  Matthew  Arnold,"  June  9, 
1869  (A.  116),  (C.  B.  104). 

24.  Visits  from  People.  Describe  a  visit  that  a  friend  or 
relative  has  paid  you.  Models:  "Cicero  to  Atticus," 
B.c.  45  (A.  1);  "William  Cowper  to  the  Reverend  John 
Newton,"  March  29,  1784  (A.  23). 

25.  Visits  to  People.  Tell  of  a  visit  you  have  paid  to  a 
friend  or  relative.  Models:  "Charles  Lamb  to  Thomas 
Manning,"  September  24,  1802  (A.  55);  "Thomas  B. 
Macaulay  to  his  Father,"  July  26,  1826  (F.  62). 

26.  Voyage.  Describe  a  voyage.  Model:  "Robert  Louis 
Stevenson  to  Henry  James,"  1887  (A.  124). 

27.  Warning.  Write  a  letter  warning  a  friend  against  some 
fault  or  danger.  Model:  "Sidney  Smith  to  Lord  Mur- 
ray," September  29,  1843  (A.  76). 


104  SUPPLEMENTARY  EXERCISES 

IV.  Memorize 
A  TROOP  OF  THE  GUARD  RIDES  FORTH  TO-DAY1 

There's  trampling  of  hoofs  in  the  busy  street, 
There's  chinking  of  sabers  on  floor  and  stair, 

There's  sound  of  restless,  hurrying  feet, 

Of  voices  that  whisper,  of  lips  that  entreat, 

Will  they  live,  will  they  die,  will  they  strive,  will  they  dare? 

The  houses  are  garlanded,  flags  flutter  gay, 

For  a  Troop  of  the  Guard  rides  forth  to-day. 

Oh,  the  troopers  will  ride  and  their  hearts  will  leap, 

When  it's  shoulder  to  shoulder  and  friend  to  friend  — 
But  it's  some  to  the  pinnacle,  some  to  the  deep, 
And  some  in  the  glow  of  their  strength  to  sleep, 

And  for  all  it's  a  fight  to  the  tale's  far  end. 
And  it's  each  to  his  goal,  nor  turn  nor  sway, 
When  the  Troop  of  the  Guard  rides  forth  to-day. 


The  portals  are  open,  the  white  road  leads 

Through  thicket  and  garden,  o'er  stone  and  sod. 
On,  up!  Boot  and  saddle !  Give  spurs  to  your  steeds! 
There's  a  city  beleaguered  that  cries  for  men's  deeds, 
For  the  faith  that  is  strength  and  the  love  that  is  God ! 
On  through  the  dawning !  Humanity  calls ! 

Life's  not  a  dream  in  the  clover! 
On  to  the  walls,  on  to  the  walls, 
On  to  the  walls,  and  over! 

Hermann  Hagedorn. 

1  Read  before  the  Graduating   Class  of  Harvard  University, 
June  21,  1907. 


University  of  California  Library 
Los  Angeles 

This  hook  is  DTK  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


University  of  California,  Los  Angeles 


L  007  114  590  8 


LOS  ANGELES 

STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

LIBRARY 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000352159™" 


